It's a matter of definition.
What does 'hand flying' really mean? Most think of simply AP off and then cling to the FD (which in some designs is the same computer signal). Todays pilots are great in FD hand flying. Most manual handling sim sessions hastily introduced have the one engine ILS manual approach in their program then followed by a raw data EO ILS. The whole trick is that the pitch, power and crab values have been established on the previous FD approach and memorised. Big deal with no value!
My definition of hand flying in this context is the one of failure of automation, be that AP/FD, or input data affecting a lot of presented data. In most accidents the very basic information, attitude and altitude, were still correct. Secondary data like speed, vertical speed, trends, FD signals, FMS signals etc. were partly or grossly wrong.
Hand flying a complex aircraft with misguided information therefore means the ability to establish a safe flight path with very basic information.
It's exactly that kind of skill that is lacking. I test all my fellow pilots in the cockpit randomly by asking in any kind of flight situation what pitch, bank and power would be required, fast, right now .......
A frightening number of buddies does not have a fast enough or survivable clue!
The argument that the FO on AF447 was not lacking handflying skill, or that did not matter, is tragically wrong. He was definitely confused and lost situational awareness and the conclusion that even better hf-skills would not have helped him is almost cynically wrong.
Follow my definition of what hand flying all contains, it is the very nature of confusion and loss of situational awareness that defines absence of experience and skill that does not allow such pilots to get out of a situation where automatics go bezerk.