Erik ten Hag insists Andre Onana deserves to stay as Man United's No 1

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. 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.’