Jamie Carragher derides Andre Onana’s ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ performance against Galatasaray… but warns Erik ten Hag that blame will shift to the No1’s manager if his form does not improve

• Man United were held to a 3-3 draw at Galatasaray after fumbling their lead 
• Onana’s place in the team could be under threat from reserve keeper Bayindir
• Andre Onana’s place as Man United No 1 is in doubt – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off

Jamie Carragher has slammed Andre Onana’s performance for Manchester United against Galatasaray as ‘unacceptable’ and suggested that if he were a young academy prospect, he might have been dropped for good. 

The Cameroonian keeper was Ten Hag’s number-one target in the position during last summer’s transfer window, after having first worked with the former Inter Milan player at Ajax as he rose from the youth ranks to the senior No1. 

But a number of questionable performances in red have raised questions over whether Onana is of the standard required by a Man United side chasing trophies. 

In Istanbul on Wednesday evening, Onana was pilloried for his inaction in the face of an impressive freekick from Chelsea loanee Hakim Ziyech that brought the home side into the game at 2-1. 

Ziyech continued to torture the 27-year-old in the second-half, outfoxing him with a comparatively tame shot that kept Galatasaray in the hunt at 3-2 as United threw away their lead to end the tie with 3-3 draw. 

Andre Onana endured a torrid time at RAMS Park against Galatasaray on Wednesday evening

Erik ten Hag doubled down on his support of his No1 in the aftermath of the disappointing tie

Jamie Carragher has argued that Onana is falling below the standards of a Man United keeper

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Onana was handed a paltry three out of 10 by French outlet L’Equipe for his showing at RAMS Park, and Carragher was no less merciless with his assessment of the goalkeeper five months into his time at Old Trafford. 

‘The performance for a Manchester United goalkeeper in Turkey was unacceptable,’ the Liverpool legend shared in his column for Telegraph Sport. ‘You would not expect an Under 18 keeper to make the basic handling error for Galatasaray’s second goal. 

‘If a youth keeper was promoted and played like Onana on Wednesday evening, he would probably never feature for the first team again.’

But despite his harsh words, the Sky Sports pundit admitted he felt ‘sorry’ for Onana, and stated that his criticism was not ‘intended to be cruel’.  

‘(My criticism) is a reflection of the standards expected at the top of the professional game,’ Carragher added. 

‘You cannot play for Manchester United and avoid this level of scrutiny, especially when the stakes are as high as they were in Istanbul. Huge fixtures are settled by small margins.’

Onana cut a visibly disappointed presence after the final whistle on Wednesday as he tugged off his gloves and pulled at his shirt in dismay, but Ten Hag opted not to make an example of his goalkeeper in his post-match remarks. 

‘We win and lose together. (Onana) is okay,’ Ten Hag said. ‘It is not about individuals. Individual errors in football can make a difference and you take responsibility for it, but it is always about the team.’ 

‘All the players in this squad deserve to play for Manchester United because they are brilliant players. We are very happy with our keeper group. They do very well and have good performances. They have to push each other.’

But Carragher suggested that should Onana continue to suffer repeat poor performances, attention will soon shift to the man who advocated for his transfer.  

‘Ten Hag cannot disguise the reality that United have suffered because of Onana’s avoidable mistakes,’ Carragher continued.

Hakim Ziyech (left) tormented the United shot-stopper with a well-timed brace on home soil

Carragher believes that Onana’s lack of reliability could see United miss out by fine margins

It is admirable for a manager to stand by a player in the face of mounting criticism. There is also a fine line between that being a sign of strength or weakness. 

‘Onana must massively improve in the coming weeks and months, otherwise the derision will shift from an erratic keeper to the manager who keeps picking him.’

Fresh from European action midweek, Man United will face a tough test in their upcoming Premier League fixture on Saturday evening. 

The Red Devils travel to St James’ Park to face Eddie Howe’s ruthlessly in-form Newcastle, held to a draw in Paris in their Champions League action, but fresh off the back of a 4-1 demolition of Chelsea in their last league tie. 

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