MANCHESTER, England: Harry Maguire and Andre Onana, two Manchester United players who are the main criticism of the fans, received great praise from manager Erik ten Hag after the 1-0 victory over FC Copenhagen early this morning.
Maguire, whose taunts and jeers from the fans prompted ex-player David Beckham to come out in support, headed home in the 72nd minute, while Onana saved a late penalty in United’s first Champions League win of the season.
Ten Hag said Maguire, who also excelled in the 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the English Premier League last Saturday, played more proactively in possession.
“Handling crosses, defending well, coming forward to defend, very confident on the ball, he dominates, dominates his opponents,” said Ten Hag.
“Then you saw great skill from him with the header, a great pass from Christian (Eriksen) but a brilliant finish.”
Onana has been heavily criticized since arriving from Inter Milan in the summer transfer window.
But there was nothing but love for the goalkeeper after he darted to his left to punch out Jordan Larsson’s penalty before being mobbed by his team-mates.
“He showed personality and he realized before that it wasn’t his real level, he didn’t match his real skills and he could have done better and I thought last Saturday (in Sheffield) was a very good performance from him as well as today,” Ten Hag told reporters. .
The victory, which began with a tribute to club legend Bobby Charlton, who died last Saturday aged 86, lifted United to third in Group A with three points from three games.
While United have struggled with a lackluster start in the domestic league, they have now won their last three games in all competitions – perfect timing for the Ten Hag ahead of their clash with neighbors Manchester City at Old Trafford this Sunday.
“There’s a great spirit and they’re together and it’s always important as a team, the team is more important than the individual,” Ten Hag said.
“This is what we have ahead of the Manchester neighbors game… to fight together and then we have a very good chance to get a result.”