Manager Erik ten Hag has come out to defend his number one, André Onana, after the Cameroonian goalkeeper made yet another costly mistake which saw Manchester United go down to 10 men and ultimately lose 3-2 to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday.
United came out of the traps the better team on the night, opening the scoring through Rasmus Højlund and creating a number of other chances in the opening 20 minutes, only for a deflected equaliser from former player Wilfried Zaha to cut their confidence short.
The Red Devils’ disappointing defensive display was a theme throughout and although Højlund did go on to score a second (it could have been a hattrick if not for an impressively composed finish ruled offside), they made it far too easy for the opposition to answer back with an almost immediate counter-punch.
Calamity at the back culminated in Onana’s second major error in the Champions League season as he effectively passed the ball to the opposition, leaving Casemiro with little choice other than to make a last-ditch challenge and receive a second yellow, meaning he will now miss their final group stage game.
While Mauro Icardi missed his penalty, he did go on to score the second equaliser — one which might not have come were it not for United being short a key player. Nevertheless, following fans’ obvious frustration at Onana’s string of errors and calls for him to be dropped, ten Hag is sticking by the signing.
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🗣️ "We are happy with our goalkeeping group, definitely with Andre."
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag discusses goalkeeper Andre Onana following a third home defeat this season 🔴🧤 pic.twitter.com/w59y4JCU3m
ten Hag confirms Onana’s position after a costly mistake against Galatasaray.
As he insisted to multiple outlets after the game, he said: “We are happy with our goalkeeping group, definitely with Andre, and Andre was in one semi-final of the Champions League, last season he was in a final of the Champions League, he has the capabilities to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
“He showed that and he will do. We have already seen in games his great capabilities, also his personality after he made a mistake. He will bounce back and I’m sure he will do in the coming games as well.”
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The Dutchman went on to admit in his post-match press conference that although he believes “last season was brilliant, terrific, more than we could have expected”, he knew “there would be gaps”, adding that, “In this moment, we are in a very difficult period, as everyone can see.”
It wasn’t the only negative record they put up on the night either, as they helped the Turkish visitors to their first-ever competitive win on English soil.
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First Champions League match win in five years ✅ First Champions League away match win in 17 matches ✅
Although many now believe Onana should be dropped and either one of Tom Heaton or United’s other new signing, Altay Bayindir, given a chance, ten Hag was sure to make it clear that the fault doesn’t just lie with the keeper and that mistakes need to be eliminated all across the pitch.
He also reiterated that there were periods of the game when his team were in control and played “fantastic” and while he understands fans booing at full-time, he assured that both he and the team are just as disappointed but that that “it needs to be [used as] fuel” to turn things around.
“We are fighting together, stick[ing] together, we are behind each other, and that is me, the directors, the team — all together, we will fight. This is not us. We know we have to do better and in the togetherness, we will come out.”
You can watch the highlights of Manchester United’s 3-2 loss to Galatasaray in the Champions League down below:
Onana’s mistake against Galatasaray was by no means his first; it wasn’t even his first in the UCL.
Featured Image — Man United (via Instagram)/BeanymanSports (via YouTube)
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Scott McTominay jokes he’s ‘fuming’ he didn’t score a hat-trick against Chelsea as he reflects on Man United’s mentality
Danny Jones
Scott McTominay has joked he’s “fuming” with himself after failing to score a hat-trick in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday nightand shed some light on the mentality around Old Trafford.
McTominay starred in the Red Devils’ win over Mauricio Pochettino’s side on a cold night at home, managing to bag a brace with a goal in the first and second half to get his squad over the line, but he himself said he could have had more.
Speaking to MUTV after the game, the 26-year-old said he and the squad knew they needed to drum up a reaction after the Newcastle disappointment, adding that contributing more goals is something he wants to keep working on and insisting that plenty of people back him to do so.
Confessing that his mum, dad and grandad have all been encouraging him to “get in the box” and that he just needs to “believe in [him]self and go for it”, the Scotsman did go on to quip he was “fuming” to not grab a third as he shook his head went on to shake and reveal a wry smile.
Scott McTominay was the match-winner against Chelsea.
Commentator and presenter Stewart Gardner went on to list McTominay’s impressive stats this season, having now scored 14 goals in his last 33 appearances for club and country. A seriously good rate from a midfielder typically entrusted to help link play and break things up in the middle of the park.
Now boasting half a dozen goals and an assist across all competitions so far this campaign, he sits as the club’s leading goalscorer in the Premier League with five finishes to his name — with only Bruno Fernandes having contributed more (five goals and five assists) — he’s genuinely become one of Man United’s main goal threats.
While he recently rubbished talk that he played as a striker regularly coming up through the youth academy, simply having been deployed for the odd game in reality, he has always had a shot on him and it isn’t the first time he’s bagged a winner or a big goal for the Reds. This wasn’t a bad one either:
Chatting with the pundits on Amazon Prime Sport, he reiterated that he could have had “one or two more” on another night and agreed that the performance against Newcastle in the previous fixture was “pretty abysmal”, holding his hands up to admit that it was “no way near good enough”.
Reflecting on the later chance he had to seal the hat-trick towards the end of the game, he said he simply needed to “calm down on the last one”.
As for the mentality to get the result during a difficult period where the club remained under a lot of scrutiny from pundits and fans alike, McTominay went on to say that the manager is responsible for the way they played and some “lighter training sessions to keep energy levels up” definitely helped.
Regardless, he was sure to not get ahead of himself and assured ten Hag‘s team were still taking things a game at a time. You can watch the full highlights from Manchester United vs Chelsea down below:
Featured Images — Scott McTominay (via Instagram)/MUTV
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Kevin Sinfield has entered the final leg of yet another ultra marathon challenge for MND
Danny Jones
Ex-rugby player turned England coach Kevin Sinfield has begun the final day of yet another incredible ultra marathon challenge he is undertaking to raise money and awareness around motor neurone disease (MND), with the sports personality scheduled to finish up this Thursday.
Having set off on 1 December, the Oldham-born athlete is facing what he has called easily his “toughest challenge” yet, taking on the newly-dubbed ‘Ultra 7 in 7 in 7’, which will see him once again run an ultra marathon every day for seven days across seven different cities.
Following on from his first Ultra 7 in 7 back in 2020 and most recent one last year, the Leeds Rhinos legend has now raised well over £8 million pounds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA), the cause he got behind following his former teammate and best mate Rob Burrow’s diagnosis in 2019.
Now, having taken on the incredible feat once again — running the equivalent of 27 miles (43km) a day — Sinfield is hoping to not just reach the trademark £777,777 fundraising target, but smash it for a fourth consecutive time. Here he is finishing up his penultimate leg in his second home.
Setting off from Yorkshire’s iconic Headingley Stadium with a team of friends and volunteers, the 43-year-old has passed through the likes of Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Dublin and Brighton, and is now staring down one last push towards the finale from Twickenham Stadium to the Mall in London.
Having already amassed over £557k in donations since the start of his remarkable journey, he is well on course to reach the finish line in every sense of the word.
The best part about this most recent Ultra 7 fundraising challenge, though, is that beyond just putting in the hard yards in Burrow‘s name and raising money for the MNDA, the funds generated from this series of runs will be going to multiple causes.
As well as the Leeds Hospitals Charity and The Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, money will also be going to the Irish MNDA set up by former Scottish rugby player, Doddie Weir, who sadly died from the condition in 2022 but has remained an inspiration to Sinfield and countless others over recent years.
Having echoed his lasting sentiment that “MND isn’t untreatable, it’s just underfunded” throughout his own campaigning for the cause, the local sporting hero will also be representing the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation in his honour. Heartwarming stuff.
As we’re sure is the case for all of you too, we’ve been absolutely blown away by this man over the last few years not only in his ability to keep completing these huge feats of endurance but by the size of his heart in continuing to fundraise on such a massive scale.
From raising awareness around MND and becoming an emblem of friendship with his best mate Rob, Kevin Sinfield has truly set an example for all of us and will no doubt prove a role model to millions for years to come.
Danny Jones -
4th October 2023 
