Erik ten Hag defended Andre Onana after the goalkeeper made a costly error in Manchester United’s 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Onana spilled Leroy Sane’s long-range shot into the back of the net to gift Bayern the lead in the sixth minute, and the visitors doubled their advantage four minutes later through Serge Gnabry.
United fought back to score three goals in the second half, but it was not enough to prevent a fourth defeat in five matches.
Onana apologised to his teammates and fans after the game, but Ten Hag insisted that the blame should not be placed on one individual.
“It is good he is taking responsibility but it is about the team,” Ten Hag said at his post-match press conference. “You have to bounce back as a team and we scored three goals after that.
“We made too many mistakes tonight and we were punished for them. We have to learn from this and move on.”
Ten Hag also praised Onana’s overall performance, despite the error.
“He is a very good goalkeeper,” Ten Hag said. “He has made some very good saves for us this season. He is a young player and he will learn from this.”
Ten Hag’s decision to defend Onana is a sign of the manager’s support for his players, even when they make mistakes. This is likely to be appreciated by Onana, who will be looking to bounce back from his error in the next game.
