Following a wave of transfer rumours around Andre Onana, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim appears to have made up his mind regarding the future of the struggling goalkeeper.
Upon moving to Man United at the start of last season, Onana was carrying enormous expectations on his shoulders, particularly after his scintillating tenure at Inter Milan.
Sadly, the Cameroonian’s performances this season have fallen flat, as exhibited by the whopping 61 goals he has conceded in 61 matches in all competitions, keeping just 10 clean sheets in the process. (Transfermarkt)
As such, it came as little surprise that Amorim dropped Onana for the Newcastle United game earlier this month – a decision that only further fueled rumours circulating about his future.
In fact, it was even reported that United could be willing to slash their asking price for Onana by £20 million if that would help them to offload the player in the summer transfer window.
But while such transfer rumours offer several unanswered questions, it appears as if Amorim and the United management team have already made a decision regarding Onana’s future over the near term.
This afternoon, TEAMtalk reported that while the staff is largely divided over what to do about the goalkeeper, Amorim has already formulated his view.
“There are no shortage of question marks within Man Utd’s squad at present and much of the uncertainty extends into the starting eleven too,” the report read.
“But while Man Utd continue to follow the goalkeeper market, especially on request from coach Amorim, part of the club’s management still hopes to “recover” Onana mentally and psychologically,” the article continued, suggesting that Amorim may not have as much patience for Onana as some of his colleagues.
“As reported yesterday, Diogo Costa is one of the main names on United’s goalkeeping shortlist list,” the article continued. “The Portuguese goalkeeper is highly rated and scouts have been watching him closely. Costa captains FC Porto and was named Primeira Liga goalkeeper of the season two years running in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns.”
“Despite this, we can reveal some inside Man Utd are not ready to give up on Onana just yet,” the report continued, indicating that Amorim might not end up having the final say on Onana’s future at Old Trafford.
The article then explained the justification behind the split verdict on Onana at Old Trafford: “But the idea within parts of the club, for now, is not to lose the investment made in Onana too quickly: they hope that, with the right support, the goalkeeper can be an important player for the future and justify his £47.2m purchase price.”
It’s clear that Amorim has an enormous task ahead of him when the summer transfer window opens, given the sheer number of positions that United need to fill.
The race to sign a striker already appears to be heating up, with Matheus Cunha and Victor Osimhen both firmly in United’s sights.
Of course, building a world-class attack is only half the work – United will need their defence to be airtight should they hope to compete at the highest level next season.
Hopefully, Amorim and his staff are able to see the path forward, whether that means offloading Onana or handing him another opportunity to prove why he is worth his hefty price tag.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
