20 September 2023 , 20:05
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Andre Onana has been slammed by Rio Ferdinand for giving Manchester United a "nightmare scenario" after making a dreadful mistake in their Champions League opener against Bayern Munich.
Onana allowed Leroy Sane’s tame-looking shot underneath him and into the net to give Bayern a 1-0 lead after 28 minutes. Sane exchanged passes with Harry Kane before shooting with his left foot from just outside the penalty area.
His effort was very central and should not have tested Onana. But the United goalkeeper made a mess of it, palming the shot into the corner. United went 2-0 down before half-time when Jamal Musiala's brilliant run set up an unmarked Serge Gnabry, who fired into the bottom corner.
Former United defender Rio Ferdinand did not hold back in his criticism of Onana at half-time on TNT Sports. " This is a nightmare scenario for Onana," he said. "He is confident as you like with his feet, we were sitting there saying wow with some of his passes, but as a goalkeeper you are paid to come in there and make saves.
"This is a great bit of skill from Sane to set it up as well, but he does not hit it with any purpose - it’s not wide, it’s not in the corners and Onana and his reaction afterwards, he should save this. It is meat and drink for him and he should be picking this up and looking for his next pass - it’s a bad mistake and one that he needs to recover from."
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Former United midfielder Paul Scholes had a slightly different take on the goal, laying blame with the whole team in front of Onana. "He knows he has made a huge mistake," he said. "But, I also think there are other things wrong with the goal.
"I think Manchester United in the first half played very well, but a few lapses in concentration and before you know it you are 2-0 down. It’s a big mistake from him and he needs to recover from that and concentrate."
“He’s just got to save that,” said Owen Hargreaves on co-commentary for TNT Sports. “I don’t know if he doesn’t get his feet set, he’s not ready, but that ball just can’t go in. He knows straight away, Onana.”
Onana joined United from Inter Milan in July for an initial €51m (£43.8m), plus €4m (£3.4m) in potential add-ons. The Cameroon international was brought in by Erik ten Hag for his ability to play out from the back, but he has already made a few basic mistakes.
Andre Onana let Leroy Sane's shot in (TNT Sports)He was fortunate to get away with punching striker Sasa Kalajdzic, rather than the ball, in the opening Premier League game of the season against Wolves.
His shaky start at United has come after Ten Hag backed him to make all the difference.
"Most important, always for a keeper, is clean sheets and he's not doing that on his own," Ten Hag said after signing Onana. "Therefore, you need a very good defensive organisation, [it's] quite clear. But also the capabilities of a keeper is [about] keeping the goal clean. So this is the first criterion of a good goalkeeper.
"But, nowadays, football also demands good playing from the back, out-playing qualities, and that is a quality Andre has. You need both and you need to cover both areas. So yeah, we're happy, of course.
"I think with his physical presence and also with his personality, he is so keen on winning. He's so, so eager to win trophies and he will help the team and he will help the squad to get to higher levels."