Erik ten Hag insists Andre Onana deserves to STAY as Man United’s No 1 and vows to ‘support’ his under-fire shot-stopper despite calls to drop him after high-profile errors… as he insists ‘he will help us win trophies’

Erik ten Hag leapt to Andre Onana’s defence on Friday and insisted that Manchester United‘s under-fire goalkeeper deserves to stay as his No 1.

Onana will keep his place against Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday night despite fresh scrutiny over his performance in the Champions League draw with Galatasaray in Istanbul on Wednesday, where he was criticised for all three goals United conceded.

Although Ten Hag admitted none of his players are ‘undroppable’, he will resist any temptation to axe Onana.

‘Players always need trust,’ said Ten Hag. ‘After Alisson, he is the best stopper in the league for preventing expected goals. So then you deserve to play. He has the potential, so we have to work on him so that he does it consistently. We will work with him and we will support him. The manager, coaches and players all support him.’

Asked if he has considered dropping Onana in favour of Altay Bayindir or Tom Heaton, Ten Hag replied: ‘It won’t help him. Nobody is undroppable, that is also clear. But we have a strong belief that he will help us win trophies. 

The manager has faced calls to drop Onana as goalkeeper following a number of errors

‘I have trust in Tom and Altay, but in the Champions League Andre has so much experience with Ajax and last year with Inter Milan. 

‘Last year he was with Manuel Neuer and Thibaut Courtois the best goalkeeper, so he is a great keeper.’

Bayindir was the only player to go over to console Onana after Wednesday’s game, but Ten Hag insists the £47.2m signing is not losing the confidence of his team-mates. 

‘No,’ he said. ‘This dressing room is together. Football is a game of mistakes and everyone can make mistakes.’

Onana was at fault for at least two goals as United collapsed in a 3-3 draw against Galatasaray

The United manager pointed to Onana’s excellent display at Burnley in September after he was at fault for a Leroy Sane goal against Bayern Munich as proof of his resilience.

‘He is a strong character. He is a personality and he will deal with it,’ added Ten Hag. ‘You have seen how he is reacting on a bad performance like in Munich. At Burnley he was outstanding.

‘He knows that in the Champions League he has made some mistakes, but overall in the first five months he has done well.’