Ruben Amorim has now decided he ‘trusts’ Andre Onana and is backing the Manchester United star to ‘redeem himself with a more solid structure’ rather than signing a new No.1 goalkeeper.
Amorim is working closely with newly-promoted Director of Football Jason Wilcox to rebuild an ailing squad which produced the worst season in living memory last term.
The focus is very much on attacking players in the transfer market, with Matheus Cunha already joining the club after the Red Devils triggered his £62.5m release clause to land him from Wolves.
They’ve had one bid rejected by Bryan Mbeumo by Brentford of £55m plus a further £10m in add-ons, and are considering an improved bid amid competition from Thomas Frank’s Tottenham.
Having been beaten to the signing of Liam Delap by Chelsea they’re also scouring the market for a new N0.9, though their pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres appears to have ended after the striker told them where to go.
Reports have also suggested they’re looking for a new goalkeeper after Andre Onana’s suspect displays last season and with second-choice Altay Bayindir expected to leave this summer.
It was claimed back in April that Onana had been ‘sentenced’ to the Old Trafford exit, with Nice’s Marcin Bułka and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez among a whole host of goalkeepers linked with a move to replace the Cameroonian.
But transfer expert Ben Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT last week that the United bosses hadn’t yet decided whether to source a new stopper or retain Onana as first choice.
The report stated:
‘Onana went on holiday focused on Manchester United as he has not been warned that he is for sale or at risk of losing his regular starting berth, GMS sources understand, but influential figures are assessing the market and will communicate their decision to him after the initial plan was to bring in a replacement for Altay Bayindir ahead of his expected exit.’
A report from Spanish outlet Fichajes now claims they have made their minds up, or rather Amorim has made the decision for them – Onana will remain United’s No.1 goalkeeper.
The Portuguese boss has ‘conveyed to the board his intention to count on him as a key piece in his project’ and ‘does not contemplate any other alternative’.
It’s claimed Amorim ‘trusts’ Onana and still sees him as the ‘ideal profile’ to build from the back thanks to his ‘technical conditions and ability to play with his feet’.
He insists that Onana can ‘redeem himself with a more solid structure and a well-defined idea of the game’.
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Former United defender Wes Brown won’t be at all surprised to see Onana starting under Amorim next season.
Brown said last month: “Yeah, I think you have to. Listen, he’s made some mistakes this season and you don’t want that from a goalkeeper. But at the same time, I feel sometimes the pressure has been immense. Maybe he’s not handled it the best way, but at the same time, he still comes back, the manager still puts him in.
“Plus, I don’t think he can just sell somebody like that anyway. These players cost a lot of money. Fans need to understand, it’s not like a video game where you press one button and the player is sold. There’s a lot of factors.
“And I get these questions. I mean, we all do. I have talks with my mates all the time and they’ll say ‘yeah, you should do this’. But it doesn’t work like that. I get what they’re saying, but it actually doesn’t work like that.
“So, yeah, he will be there next season and you can just hope he steps up and that’s all you can do. Because if he does, then all this talk goes out the window. It’s as simple as that. But you do have to give the lads some support, if they have had some bad games, you need to let them see that they’re still good enough, even after a bad game. Otherwise, it only gets worse.
“But you definitely also have to trust going forward that he’s going to give more, he’s going to get better and be more consistent, because he’s a great shot stopper at times. He’s let in some silly goals. I think everyone admits that, but I think you need to give him the chance.
“Next season as we go forward, obviously there’ll be new players there as well, and then it’s up to him. At times it’s been rough, but it’s the case for every player this season. At times, they’ve not been good enough. You can see it all over the pitch sometimes, and the standard needs to raise a little bit.”
