Erik ten Hag smiled when he was asked about Andre Onana's role as a ball player in the build-up to the Manchester derby. His response was to point out that the first job of any goalkeeper was to keep the ball out of the net.
You only have to look at David de Gea winning the Premier League Golden Glove award last season as proof that a goalkeeper needs to be able to do more than just keep the ball out of the net. "He is a keeper who we can use as an extra player and if we are developing [more] he can be more progressive and even higher up the pitch – an extra player, so that’s an advantage," Ten Hag added on his new first-choice in goal. PLAYER RATINGS: Rashford and Evans poor vs City MATCH REACTION: United are going backwards with Ten Hag's decision-making Manchester City's gameplan in previous Manchester derbies used to focus on closing down De Gea at every opportunity and forcing the former Manchester United goalkeeper into errors with wayward kicking and nervous build-up play.
The first time the ball rolled back to Onana on Sunday afternoon, the City forwards instead stood and waited for the Cameroonian to get rid of the ball, evidence of the respect they had for him and his ability to play out from the back.
United's problem is that they didn't have the personnel to match. Pass after pass was played out to the left-sided combo of Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof, time and time again, it ended with United struggling to get the ball beyond the halfway line.