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• Erik ten Hag backs under-fire Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana

  Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has insisted he has full confidence in Andre Onana and said there would be nothing to be gained from taking his under-fire goalkeeper out of the spotlight.

  Onana’s form is once again under scrutiny after the Cameroon goalkeeper was culpable for two of Galatasaray’s goals in Wednesday’s costly 3-3 draw in Istanbul, as United surrendered a two-goal advantage to leave their Champions League fate out of their hands.

  But Ten Hag has strongly defended his £47million summer signing, a player he previously worked with at Ajax, and pointed to statistics showing that Onana is second in saves made, save percentage and goals prevented in the Premier League.

  “Players always need trust,” Ten Hag said. “After Alisson he is the best stopper in the league from preventing expected goals. You deserve to play.”

  Onana has played in every game for United this season, with Ten Hag opting not to rest him even in the League Cup. That means Turkish stopper Altay Biyindir, a summer signing from Fenerbahce, is still awaiting his debut.

  Asked if Onana might benefit from a break, Ten Hag said: “It won’t help him. I have trust in Tom (Heaton) and Altay, clear. But Andre, you see after Alisson, he prevented the most expected goals in the whole league.

  “In the Champions League, he has so much experience with Ajax and last year with Inter Milan. Last year he was with (Manuel) Neuer and (Thibaut) Courtois the best goalkeeper, so he is a great keeper.

  “He has the potential, so we have to work on him so that he does it consistently and we will work with him and we will support him. The manager, coaches and players all support him.”

  That support was not obvious in Istanbul, when United players did not go over to Onana at the final whistle as he threw his gloves to the floor in disgust at his own performance.

  But Ten Hag insisted that was not a sign that his players might be losing confidence in their goalkeeper.

  “That will not happen,” he said. “This dressing room is together. Football is a game of mistakes and everyone can make mistakes. But this team has to cover that so we will operate.

  “Nobody is undroppable, that is also clear. We have a strong belief that he will help us win trophies.”

  Onana is expected to be called into Cameroon’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in January, having resolved a dispute with head coach Rigobert Song that saw him quit international football following last year’s World Cup.

  Onana could miss four Premier League matches if he is called in, with some reports suggesting the 27-year-old is now concerned he could lose his place in the United side during that time.

  Asked if any decision had yet been taken over his participation, Ten Hag said: “When they call him, he has to go. But we are in talks.”

  Marcus Rashford will be available again for United’s trip to Newcastle on Saturday after missing the midweek drama through suspension.

  Alejandro Garnacho, who has been in electric form with two goals in two including last weekend’s outstanding bicycle kick against Everton, prefers playing off the left side in the same position as Rashford, but Ten Hag said it was no problem to accommodate players in his side.

  “Against Copenhagen they were both in the team, against Everton they were both in the team and now ‘Rashy’ was suspended,” he said.

  “‘Rashy’ can play from the right and he likes to play from the right, but he can also play through the middle and he can play from the left, so he is really multi-functional.”

• Anderson's RSA team condemns disenfranchisement efforts by Ricketts-led JFF
  The Real Solid Action (RSA) campaign team, led by candidate Raymond Anderson, has expressed profound outrage and dismay at the recent uncovering of actions taken by the Michael Ricketts-led Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) administration to disenfranchise constitutionally recognized voter organizations.

   

  Anderson's team said it has in its possession irrefutable evidence showing the JFF's repeated attempts to prevent legitimate voter organizations from exercising their right to vote in the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for January 14. These tactics, the RSA team believes are a blatant disregard for democratic principles and are aimed at silencing voices that are crucial to the fair and transparent functioning of the electoral process.

   

  "Among those wrongfully and shamelessly targeted are the Vin Blaine-led, Jamaica Football Coaches Association and Beach Soccer Jamaica, led by Pat Garel.  These organizations play a pivotal role in the development and governance of football in Jamaica and must not be silenced.  We also find it absolutely deplorable, unconstitutional and shameful that the federation's leadership deliberately failed to inform these groups of their rights and obligations under the new constitution and has decided to share the document with these entities only as recently as October 2023," an RSA release said.

   

  "Further investigations by Team RSA have unearthed attempts by the incumbent president, Michael Ricketts, and his administration to register newly formed "shell" companies. These entities, formed by disingenuous directors and federation staff members, are intended to replace the disenfranchised organizations, further skewing the electoral process in favor of the current JFF leadership. Contact has been made with the Electoral Committee regarding these developments, and we expect and have confidence that this body will act in keeping with its mandate and thoroughly examine the evidence presented as a matter of urgency and with fairness," it added. 

   

  On that note, the RSA team declared its plans to host a press conference on Monday, as it called for action and asserted that the alleged misconduct must end immediately. The conference scheduled for 11:00am at the Liguanea Club will be used to present evidence and further details on the disenfranchisement efforts, as well as the RSA's action plan to restore fairness and integrity to the electoral process.

   

  "We stand united in our commitment to ensuring a fair and just electoral process within the Jamaica Football Federation. The RSA campaign calls for immediate corrective measures and stands ready to lead the way towards a more transparent and accountable governance of football in Jamaica," the release ended.
• Stefano Pioli urges AC Milan to get Serie A title challenge back on track

  AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli admitted his side must get their Serie A title challenge back on track with victory in Saturday’s home game against Frosinone.

  Just one win in their previous five league matches has seen Milan slip six points behind leaders Inter and four behind second-placed Juventus.

  A home Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund in midweek left Milan bottom of their group and while they can still qualify for the knockout stages with one game to play, the pressure is mounting on Pioli.

  The 58-year-old former Lazio, Inter and Fiorentina head coach told a press conference: “Frosinone are doing very well and have confidence, (Eusebio) Di Francesco is doing a great job.

  “They are aggressive, but we know how to cause them problems. We want to win, and we need to. We need points, the league campaign is long.

  “As usual, we’ll need to show concentration, determination and quality. We need to show we are still competitive and put in a good performance.”

  Milan beat Pioli’s former club Fiorentina 1-0 at the San Siro last week to halt a domestic league run of two draws and two defeats and a slump in form has coincided with a lengthy injury list.

  Pioli was without half a dozen key players for Tuesday night’s loss to Dortmund and saw defender Malick Thiaw forced off early in the second half.

  Thiaw will not feature against Frosinone and Olivier Giroud is still suspended, while Rafael Leao, Noah Okafor, Pierre Kalulu, Simon Kjaer, Marco Pellegrino and Mattia Caldara are unlikely to feature.

  Pioli added: “There are still 25 league games to play. I told the players not to come in on Thursday to Milanello if they didn’t believe we could reach Inter and Juventus.”

  Frosinone boss Di Francesco has injury concerns of his own as his 10th-placed side bid to halt their poor away form, with Luca Mazzitelli, Riccardo Marchizza, Pol Lirola, Francesco Gelli and Marco Brescianini all doubtful.

  Frosinone’s impressive start to the season after promotion has been built on five wins and a draw in seven home league matches, but they are winless on the road.

  Di Francesco told a press conference: “We need to get this obstacle out of our heads. We made the last point (on the road) in Salerno (in September).

  “We need to try to approach the away match with the right attitude. Here at home, however, we feel stronger when going to face our opponents. This way of thinking certainly needs to be changed.”