Onana’s Form Decline at Man United: A Real Puzzle – James Horncastle

After the UEFA Champions League match against Galatasaray A.S., goalkeeper Andre Onana from Manchester United felt devastated. Onana’s blunders cost his team a crucial victory as the game ended in an intense 3-3 draw. This disappointing result has put Erik ten Hag’s team in a precarious position, just a step away from an undignified elimination from the tournament.

Onana’s mistakes manifested as mishandling two free-kicks by Hakim Ziyech, enabling Galatasaray to turn the tables and make a remarkable comeback. Initially, United had a comfortable lead of two goals, but Onana’s errors ultimately changed the course of the match. United find themselves at the bottom of Group A in Istanbul with only four points from five matches.

Despite keeping five clean sheets in the Premier League this season, matching the achievements of Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace and Nick Pope from Newcastle, Onana’s time at United has been marred by disastrous errors. He has failed to replicate his exceptional performances at Inter Milan, where he impressed enough to secure a £50 million move to the Premier League.

James Horncastle, a pundit for TNT Sports, expressed his disappointment in Onana’s recent performances, stating, “Last year, he was phenomenal, and when people hear that, they might assume I’m referring to his skills as a playmaking goalkeeper. But no, he was exceptional with his shot-stopping abilities. I recall his remarkable saves that kept Inter in the round-of-16 game against Porto. In just three months at United, he has made more mistakes than he did throughout the entirety of last season with Inter. I believe this is partly due to the situation in front of him and partly his own doing. It’s perplexing because he was undoubtedly one of the world’s top goalkeepers last year. Even at €50 million, I thought United were getting him at a bargain, as I believed he could have broken the world record for a goalkeeper, such was his excellence, even in the Champions League final.” After the match against Galatasaray ended in a draw, Erik ten Hag, the manager of United, refrained from blaming any of his players for the outcome. Instead, he took complete accountability by stating, “The responsibility lies with me; it’s always on me. However, we are aware that we are in a project and continuously making advancements, which is quite promising. We are heading in the right direction.”

For United to advance to the knockout stages in Group A, they need to secure a win against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in their final game. Additionally, they must rely on Copenhagen and Galatasaray playing to a draw in their respective match.