Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has urged struggling goalkeeper Andre Onana to draw inspiration from the man he replaced, David de Gea, as he strives to return to his best.
Erik Ten Hag was eager to sign Onana to compete with De Gea, who left the club this summer when his contract expired, but the former Inter stopper has had a difficult start to life at Old Trafford.
High-profile errors against Bayern Munich, Galatasaray, and Brentford have added to Onana’s pressure, but Ten Hag was quick to remind his present goalkeeper that United greats like David de Gea and Peter Schmeichel have faced similar situations in their careers.
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“We know and he knows he will do much better,” Ten Hag told a press conference. “Every player who comes into the Premier League needs an integration period but he has to step up.
“However, also big United keepers like Peter Schmeichel and David De Gea, also they started not too good.
“For Andre, it is good to know, from that little bit of history, but also we live now and we live in the future. He has to make his future by making better performances.
“I’m sure he will do that and he has already shown that so many times in big clubs like Barcelona, when he was young. At Ajax, he was in the semi-final of the Champions League. He was in the final of the Champions League [last season with Inter].
“He is a great player and I am sure he will give us performances. I am sure we will have a lot of joy from him.”
