Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana is on the verge of sealing another loan move away from Old Trafford.
United look set to offload Onana.
In reality, Andre Onana’s Manchester United career was over the day his loan move to Trabzonspor was rubber-stamped, but news of a second temporary switch to the Turkish outfit confirms he will not pull on a United shirt again.
Trabzonspor had been exploring the terms of a move for Onana since the expiration of his loan deal, and it emerged on Thursday night that United had agreed yet another temporary exit for the goalkeeper.
The question has always been whether Trabzonspor could afford to cough up a fee to sign Onana permanently. While the terms of his latest loan move are unclear, what is clear is that he has no future at Old Trafford.
Get YOUR Man United Newsletter
Get the best United news, updates and analysis straight to your Inbox courtesy of the Manchester Evening News!
To get it, it’s a simple one-two punch.
- Head THIS WAY
- Enter your email and hit Subscribe.
The structure of the deal will soon be revealed, and there’s every chance an obligation to buy clause will be included. While a permanent exit this summer would have been preferred, any deal that ensures his United career is over should be considered a good one.
Onana was prepared to report to Carrington for pre-season, but a clean break, as in arranging his exit before the players are called back in a fortnight, is the best outcome for both parties.
The 30-year-old has never been seen as a bad egg at United. He is a positive influence and was popular with some of his teammates and staff, but Senne Lammens is the first choice and dragging Onana back into the fold when his time at the club is over is utterly pointless.
To avoid a loss under the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), United need to sell Onana for around £20million. He was signed from Inter Milan for an initial £43.8m plus a possible £3.4m in add-ons in 2023.
Onana won’t be remembered fondly by supporters. He was an erratic performer who was prone to making mistakes, and Lammens has brought a refreshing stability to the backline in comparison.
Onana pictured against Grimsby in August.
It’s amusing to look back at Onana’s first appearance for United, which came in a pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund in the USA, because he furiously ranted at Harry Maguire when a slack pass from the defender gifted the Germans a decent opportunity.
Maguire kept his cool while he was berated. The centre-back’s stock was low at that point, but he got his head down, did his talking on the pitch and has enjoyed a renaissance at United as a result.
It was ironic that Onana berated Maguire for making a mistake in pre-season before going on to commit plenty of errors himself. He was the opposite of Maguire, talking a big game but failing to deliver on the pitch.
David de Gea left big shoes to fill when he left United in 2023. United believed Onana had the quality to have a transformational impact on the team due to his ability with the ball at his feet, but the goalkeeper who sparkled in the 2022 Champions League final never arrived.
It says a lot about Onana that he arrived at the club with a reputation for outstanding distribution, but he will leave this summer having looked like that area of his game was not a strength.
Onana may have been able to offset his shortcomings in other areas as a goalkeeper had his distribution been outstanding. Instead, he was ropey with the ball at his feet and error-strewn.
He prepared for last season under the assumption he would remain at Old Trafford, but Ruben Amorim abruptly axed him from his starting team, and a joint decision was made to send him on loan to Turkey.
Omar Berrada recently praised Amorim for helping to “raise standards” in the dressing room. Amorim achieved that by not ducking out of big decisions and moving on some big-name players last summer.
The easy option would have been to continue with Onana last season. Most felt other areas of the squad could be prioritised and signing a new goalkeeper could be kicked down the road, but Amorim saw it differently.
United probably wouldn’t have finished third in the Premier League with Onana starting each game. He will not be missed.