Contrary to other reports doing the rounds, Manchester United are said to be planning for Andre Onana’s exit.
That’s according to former chief scout Mick Brown, who claims (via Football Insider) INEOS ‘don’t think he’s good enough’ based on his two seasons at the club thus far.
In fairness, it’s a sentiment that a large majority of the Old Trafford faithful would echo. Onana’s performances over the last two years have left much to be desired.
Even after just his first term in M16, he had accumulated a catalogue of costly errors, with some proving detrimental to the side’s results and form.
Andre Onana: The state of play
On the final day of 2024/2025 in May, Ruben Amorim left Onana out of his matchday squad to face Aston Villa, despite the goalkeeper being fully fit. This prompted speculation over his future and whether he had already played his last game for United.
Fast-forward to last Sunday’s season-opener at home to Arsenal, and the Cameroonian was again absent — although it was claimed that his lack of training in the build-up to the fixture had encouraged Amorim to call upon Altay Bayindir instead.
Onana has spent the best part of the summer sidelined with a hamstring injury, which caused him to miss all of the team’s pre-season matches and tour of the United States. Whether or not that contributed to him staying, as opposed to being sold, remains to be seen.
It had previously been reported that the 29-year-old had garnered interest from Saudi Arabian outfits as well as AS Monaco, though nothing has materialised. Now, with just two weeks remaining to get any deals over the line, United would be in a race against time to facilitate his sale whilst also signing a suitable replacement.
What United’s former chief scout is hearing about Onana
When speaking to FI, Brown provided some insight into his understanding of Onana’s situation, saying: “Man United are still looking to get rid of Onana.
“The noises coming out of the club give me the impression that they don’t think he’s good enough for what they want to do. Fine, if that’s the decision they’ve made, they have to do something about it.
“If offers come in for him late in the window, they’re keen to listen to them. Ideally, they’d have been able to move him on earlier in the window, and then they could make a move to bring in his replacement.
“But they seem to have missed out on Emi Martinez, and [Gianluigi] Donnarumma looks like, if he’s going anywhere, it will be to Man City. United will have plans in place, though, because they still want to upgrade on Onana.
“I don’t know if there’s any interest there at the moment. It will be a case of waiting and seeing what comes in, but if something does, then they’re ready to listen.”
