While Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim was having sleepless nights due to the lack of goals, Andre Onana’s poor form has added to his worries in recent weeks.
The Cameroonian, who started the season strongly, has committed numerous high-profile errors in both the Premier League and Europa League within the past couple of months.
The Brighton mistake is fresh in the memory of all fans and he was also culpable for the goals conceded against Crystal Palace and most recently, in the game against Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.
His weak parry fell to James Maddison who made no mistake to hand Spurs their first home win in over a 100 days.
Onana’s poor recent form
Amorim had no option but to keep playing the 28-year-old due to the injury-enforced absence of backup keeper Altay Bayindir with academy wonderkid Elyh Harrison the only backup at the coach’s disposal.
However, in some good news for the beleaguered Portuguese, the Turkish shot-stopper is inching closer to a return to the first team.
Altay Bayındır çalışmalara başladı. 🇹🇷
— Orta Saha (@ortasahahaber) February 19, 2025
The 26-year-old uploaded a video on social media in which he showed he was back training with the ball. Whether he will be fit enough for a place on the bench against Everton on Saturday remains to be seen.
But Amorim will be delighted to see the Turkiye international back in training. He has not been afraid of placing his trust in the former Fenerbahce star since stepping into the hot seat.
Bayindir close to return
Unlike Erik ten Hag, who had handed Bayindir only a solitary start this campaign, Amorim has afford the shot-stopper four starts including his maiden Europa League appearance for the club.
After a shaky performance against Spurs in the Carabao Cup, the Turkish star has really come into his own and was single-handedly responsible for guiding 10-man United past Arsenal in the FA Cup third round.
He has proven to be more than a reliable backup which is why Bayindir is reportedly desperate for more minutes at the club as he eyes the No 1 spot for his country.
There have been murmurs that he might be ready to quit to return to his homeland and play for Galatasaray and Amorim will be hoping he stays, given Onana’s shaky form of late.
Feature image Julian Finney via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
