Ten Hag wants Onana to improve after losing to Real
"When you play against Real, you will face many opportunities because the opponent is very strong and has a lot of good players," Ten Hag said after a friendly in Houston. "But overall, Man Utd played well and Onana saved many dangerous shots. I think everyone saw, Onana made an impressive debut."
In his first start for Man Utd, Onana played the full 90 minutes, saved three shots from inside the box, touched the ball 51 times, passed 95% accuracy with four long passes. In addition to his hand-stopping skills, the Cameroonian goalkeeper promoted his forte being the ability to play with his feet when he often stood on the 16m50 line to distribute the ball, helping Man Utd escape pressing.
Onana received two goals from midfielder Jude Bellingham's kick and Joselu striker's super kick. The Manchester Evening News site gave Onana 7 points, the highest on the Man Utd side.
Satisfied with the performance, but Ten Hag thinks Onana needs to coordinate better with the defense in many situations, especially in Joselu's goal. The Dutch coach said: "We still have a lot of work to do between Onana and the defense. In the second goal, we left a gap in the far post. That can't happen and we need to improve quickly." .
On the NRG field, Houston, Man Utd controlled the ball 53%, shot 15 times with five shots on target - the same number as Real - but could not score. Ten Hag thinks that Man Utd must do two things better, including pressing and the ability to finish. He emphasized that Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay and Alejandro Garnacho should have taken advantage of this match.
Therefore, Ten Hag admits that Man Utd needs to recruit a striker and is pushing the negotiation process. "We create a lot of good chances, but we need to save and score from those situations," said the 53-year-old coach. "We had about three or four good chances, kept the game until the last minute and then conceded the second. It was like looking at a crystal ball but we are working hard to sign the contract. with the striker. We will do all we can to get this done."
After recruiting midfielders Mason Mount and Onana, Man Utd is prioritizing strengthening the striker, with the top target being Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund. According to Goal, the Old Trafford owner has reached an agreement with the Danish striker, but needs to close the transfer fee with Atalanta - the club requires $ 78 million to pay in cash. When asked about this information, Ten Hag replied: "We never talk about players who have contracts with other clubs. We have goals, are working hard with the right player to sign a contract. ".
Man Utd have three friendlies left with Dortmund on July 30, Lens on August 5 and Bilbao on August 6. In which, meeting Lens is the only match taking place at Old Trafford.
