Rio Ferdinand names ONLY Man Utd player who deserves credit after Tottenham mauling

Steve Pearson 30 Sep 2024 3:06 PM

Rio Ferdinand named the only player who can hold his head high after Man Utd's 3-0 defeat to Tottenham

Rio Ferdinand explained why goalkeeper Andre Onana is the only Manchester United player to emerge with any sort of credit following the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday.

Man Utd’s punishing 3-0 loss ensured the Red Devils have won just three out of a possible nine matches across all competitions this season. The only sides Man Utd have beaten are Fulham and Southampton in the Premier League and Barnsley in the League Cup.

Sub-par performances from Man Utd stars were there for all to see at Old Trafford, though club legend Rio Ferdinand believes Andre Onana can hold his head high.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the six-time Premier League winner suggested that Onana is finally beginning to justify his £43.8m price tag after a shaky first season.

“Do you know who I’ve got to give a shout out to, who got a lot of stick last season? Onana,” declared Ferdinand. “Without him, it’s six or seven today. Onana has been good this season, he’s stepped up, he’s made some big saves.

“Yes there’s been the odd thing here [and there] but he’s been what you want to see. What I expected to see from Onana is what I’m seeing this season. He’s the only one today who comes out of the game with any sort of credit, any sort of positives.

“He can walk away with his head high. He won’t because he’ll be sitting there hurting, he conceded three goals. But he wasn’t at fault for any of the goals, he kept us in the game.”

Onana efforts not enough to stifle Ten Hag sack speculation

Onana made seven saves in the contest including twice denying Timo Werner in one-v-one opportunities.

Tottenham produced an xG (expected goals) figure of 4.59. Onana’s xGOT faced (expected goals conceded from shots on target) was 3.46.

Both figures strongly point to Onana performing to a high standard and ensuring the scoreline did not get further out of hand.

Yet despite Onana’s efforts, the shortcomings of his teammates have only served to heighten speculation regarding their manager’s position.

TEAMtalk’s understanding of the situation is that despite the board’s backing, sources with inside knowledge suggest Erik ten Hag will be ‘extremely lucky to see out the season.’

The Telegraph and Sky Sports have reported Ten Hag will be publicly backed ahead of key upcoming clashes with FC Porto (Europa League) and Aston Villa (Premier League). An imminent managerial change is not thought to be in the pipeline.

However, even with positive results from those two matches we understand it is highly doubtful as to whether Ten Hag will retain his job to the end of the season.

Man Utd legends and pundits pull no punches

In other news, Paul Scholes launched a verbal tirade into his former club when declaring the Man Utd players look “uncoached” following the Spurs defeat.

Fellow United icon Gary Neville ripped into the current Red Devils crop, claiming Sunday’s display was “one of the worst performances I have seen under Ten Hag.”

Gary Lineker and Jamie Redknapp both voiced fears over Ten Hag’s position as Man Utd manager, while the underfire Dutchman detailed the two things he must do to avoid the sack.

Andre Onana keeping Man Utd heads above water

Onana’s 69.2 save percentage ranks him 11th in the Premier League so far this season. Alisson Becker leads the way on 84.6 percent, followed by David Raya on 82.8 percent.

However, his mark of three clean sheets puts him joint-first with Alisson and Raya. Liverpool have actually kept four clean sheets, though one of those (3-0 vs Bournemouth) came while Caoimhin Kelleher deputised for Alisson.

Manchester United Rio Ferdinand Andre Onana