André Onana is being “harmed” by “made to look good” Harry Maguire, claims former Manchester United defender

André Onana is being “harmed” by Harry Maguire at Manchester United, claims former United defender Paul Parker.

André Onana‘s maiden season at Manchester United has not gone to plan, with the player being criticised for inconsistent performances and huge mistakes under Erik ten Hag so far.

Onana has been good in the Premier League, having kept five clean sheets so far. However, the Champions League is where he has faltered, making costly errors in big games against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.

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One man who has seen a resurgence in recent weeks is Harry Maguire, who has gone from Old Trafford outcast to Premier League Player of the Month for November – although former Red Paul Parker believes that Maguire is the actual cause of Onana’s struggles.

“The stats only show you how many times the ball goes into the back of the net, but you have to look at the number of saves Onana has to make,” Parker told bettors. “He was worked like this in Italy. It’s a different kind of goalkeeping, and that’s why we’re seeing faults in his goalkeeping. It’s relentless.”

“He’s having to shift his positioning and make all kinds of decisions more consistently than he did in the Italian league. United have to sit deeper now because Harry Maguire is playing, and the manager has had to accept that because Maguire can’t squeeze up and he can’t run.

“They’re trying to play out from the back, but they know they can’t do it with Harry Maguire – it’s like a shy horse pulling a cart. He’s very slow and very cumbersome. The deeper you sit, the more you’re one bad decision away from allowing the opposition to have a shot at your goal.”

Further to this, Parker also explained that he believes Maguire is being made to look better than he really is because of the specific tactics employed to accommodate him.

“Maguire is being made to look good because, in the low block, you’re more likely to be making blocks and heading balls away. The defence has been put under so much pressure, and they’re making mistakes.

“They did very well after the World Cup, but the bad form picked up after the League Cup final. After that it’s been a backwards step, and losing Martinez at the start of the season didn’t help. He drags people with him so they miss him.”