30 November 2023 , 17:03
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Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has torn into Red Devils goalkeeper Andre Onana after his latest Champions League nightmare away at Galatasaray.
United's No.1 was guilty of multiple errors in Istanbul as Erik ten Hag's men let a two-goal lead slip on two separate occasions. Both came from Hakim Ziyech free-kicks, with the second in particular sparking criticism after Onana allowed Ziyech's effort to squirm underneath his body and into the back of the net.
Goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes put United two goals to the good before Ziyech's first wrong-footed Onana. Scott McTominay restored a two-goal cushion for the visitors before the main blunder of the evening put Ten Hag's side under more pressure.
Kerem Akturkoglu netted a vital equaliser for the hosts to plunge United's hopes of progression into the knockout rounds of the competition in doubt. They will now need to beat Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in two weeks to stand any chance of a place in the round of 16.
After the game, Scholes tore into Onana, telling TNT Sport: "Well, what can you say? It’s a terrible mistake again [for the second goal]. I’m not sure what he’s actually trying to do, punch it away with his right hand? It’s weak. He makes people nervous, he makes the defence nervous, he makes the whole team nervous. He makes simple saves look really, really difficult.
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"Beaten at the near post [for Galatasaray’s third]. We’ll probably have goalkeeper experts who will know more about this than us, but again I don’t think he should be beaten at the near post. His positioning is poor. For me, all three goals are down to him. His technique looks awkward.’
HAVE YOUR SAY!Was Scholes' assessment of Onana fair? Comment below
Andre Onana had a night to forget against Galatasaray (Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)After the game, United's goalkeeper cut a devastated figure. Once the full-time whistle was blown, the Cameroon international stood motionless before throwing his goalkeeper gloves to the ground in anger.
He was however protected by his manager. Ten Hag made sure to not lay the blame at Onana's door. "He is ok, it is not about an individual. Individual errors in football can make a difference and you take responsibility for it, but it is always about the team.
"We scored quickly after each other. It’s about the point when you are 2-0 up and you have to manage the game. It is not so easy when we give free-kicks away and we have to defend the free‑kicks better.
"Hakim is brilliant, I know that, and he is extraordinary. It is always about incidents and details and we can do better. We have to learn from it because as a team we are conceding too many goals and it is unnecessary and avoidable."