Ruben Amorim was less forgiving of Andre Onana’s latest error after the Manchester United dropped a clanger against Brighton.
The Red Devils’ goalkeeper failed to deal with Yasin Ayari’s hopeful low cross when United were already 2-1 down. Onana fumbled the trundling ball and spilled it at the feet of Seagulls forward Georgino Rutter, who took a touch before making no mistake in finding the net.
Onana’s team-mates were left deflated as the likes of Diogo Dalot and Matthijs de Ligt both fell to the floor at the side’s latest hammer blow. United’s shotstopper could barely lift himself from the ground following the error and buried his head into the turf.
For his part, Amorim did not attempt to defend his goalkeeper’s actions on this occasion. The 39-year-old head coach instead compared the mistake to the failures of his team as a whole and suggested Onana lacked focus.
“It’s like the team, ups and downs,” he said of Onana. “Really up, sometimes, and really low downs. We have to maintain the focus during all the game to try to win. That is the only way we can turn things around.”
It was a kinder assessment that some provided. “An awful mistake from Andre Onana,” ex-United striker Dion Dublin said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “He will not want to look at this. He has no players around him. There is no danger! Just gather it and take it in. Deary me!”
It was a more forthright outlook than Amorim had previously provided following a difficult moment for Onana. Against Wolves, Matheus Cunha scored directly from a corner as the Cameroon international languished in the midst of opposition players.
“I think he cannot go to the ball,” said Amorim on Boxing Day. “He’s trying to reach the ball and some guys are not even looking at the ball but I don’t want to focus on that.”
Amorim was blunt in his criticism following United’s home defeat to Brighton however. The ex-Sporting CP coach declared his team possibly the club’s worst ever.
“In [the past] 10 games in Premier League, we won two,” said Amorim. “Imagine what this is for a fan of Manchester United. Imagine what this is for me.
“We are getting a new coach who is losing more than the last coach. I have full knowledge of that.
“We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. I know you [media] want headlines but I am saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that. Here you go: your headlines.”
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