Coach Erik ten Hag unexpectedly mentioned David De Gea when asked about rookie Andre Onana’s unconvincing performances since joining Manchester United.

This weekend, the English Premier League will resume after a break of about two weeks for international matches. One of the intriguing fixtures involves Manchester United. In this 9th round, the Red Devils are set to face the bottom-ranked team, Sheffield United. Despite their higher rating, Manchester United’s defense has been as leaky as that of their opponents.

According to Opta, the Red Devils have conceded 19 goals in 10 matches in all competitions since the beginning of the season. Meanwhile, Sheffield’s tally is 22, making them one of the three worst defensive teams in the Premier League, along with Manchester United and Burnley.

One of the contributing factors to these poor statistics is individual mistakes, with the most discussed case being goalkeeper Andre Onana. Manchester United’s £55 million rookie has repeatedly reacted slowly, even passing to the opposition, resulting in conceded goals.

Manchester United fans immediately questioned Onana’s value in the club’s ranks when they previously had a superb goalkeeper in David De Gea. However, Coach Ten Hag still has faith in his Cameroonian student.

In his latest press conference, the Dutch coach affirmed that Onana just needs time to integrate with Manchester United and the new environment. He believes that even the club’s previous outstanding goalkeepers, such as De Gea or Peter Schmeichel, are no exception to this rule.