Andre Onana’s time at Man United has not gone as planned and he’s now closing in on a loan exit to a Turkish club.
Steven is a senior writer and covers Manchester United for the Manchester Evening News. You can follow Steven on Twitter at @StevenRailston.
Andre Onana pictured shortly after signing for United.(Image: 2023 Manchester United FC)
Andre Onana furiously ranted at Harry Maguire when a slack pass from the defender gifted Borussia Dortmund a chance during Manchester United’s final pre-season friendly in the USA in 2023.
Maguire kept his cool while he was berated. Some fans said the reaction was unnecessary in a friendly, while other supporters were pleased to see Onana quickly lay down the law.
Just weeks later, Onana was fortunate not to chuck away three points against Wolves on his debut when he crashed into Sasa Kalajdzic in the box and failed to make contact with the ball.
Wolves were denied a blatant penalty and the PGMOL apologised to a dumbfounded Gary O’Neil.
Onana got away with the huge error on his debut, but the episode foreshadowed his topsy-turvy stint at Old Trafford, which has culminated in Trabzonspor being on the cusp of signing him on loan.
Onana signed from Inter Milan in a deal worth £47million and was expected to be a transformative signing. In reality, he has struggled to back up his vociferous nature with substance.
Onana fouled the opposition and got away with no penalty on his debut.
The Cameroon international’s performances in the Champions League group stage in his first season were error-strewn. And the first mistake Onana made came during a narrow defeat to Bayern Munich in September 2023, allowing Leroy Sane’s tame shot to trickle through his fingertips.
Onana requested to speak to the media following the final whistle, saying: “I’m the one who let the team down. The team were good, but because of me, we didn’t win this game, so we just have to move on. This is the life of a goalkeeper and if we didn’t win today, it’s on me.”
United fans respected Onana for taking responsibility for his error during the interview. Two clean sheets followed that night in Germany and it seemed like he’d turned a corner.
But an awful performance in the Champions League against Galatasaray, in which he gifted the opposition a penalty and went down far too easily for the matchwinner, followed.
There was redemption against Copenhagen, with Onana saving a 97th-minute penalty to seal a 1-0 victory, but United finished bottom of their group with just four points.
Onana was partly to blame for the club’s worst performance in the Champions League group stage.
He began to improve in the winter, demonstrating impressive resilience to deliver strong displays in the Premier League. He notably kept a clean sheet in an ugly 0-0 draw against Liverpool at Anfield in December 2023, becoming the first goalkeeper to do so that season. He ended his first season strongly and started 2024/2025 in the same vein of form.
Onana made a brilliant double save against Palace in September 2024.
Onana won the Premier League’s save of the month award for his double stop against Crystal Palace in September 2024 and somehow bettered it against Fenerbahce in October. Then it all started to go downhill for when United lost 2-0 against Arsenal in December.
The Cameroon international conceded two goals from corners, which was followed by a mistake against Nottingham Forest and another error against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League.
Then the Lyon debacle happened in April. Nemanja Matic said Onana was “statistically one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United modern history” before the first leg, and Onana was subsequently at fault for both goals.
United pulled off a special victory against Lyon in the reverse match at Old Trafford and Onana sprinted to embrace Ruben Amorim on the touchline when Maguire got him out of jail.
But fans lost patience with Onana last season and will be relieved to see him leave on loan.
Erratic is probably the perfect word to describe Onana. He is not a goalkeeper who can be relied upon and can make embarrassing howlers at unexpected moments during matches.
United allowed David de Gea to leave upon the expiry of his contract in the summer of 2023 because his mistakes had become too regular and some performances were indefensible.
Onana has made a similar number of errors at United without having the previous credit that De Gea had banked. It was still the correct decision to allow De Gea to leave because United needed to sign a modern goalkeeper, but it’s impossible to reject the suggestion that the succession was botched.
Onana was at fault for Grimsby’s second goal in the Carabao Cup.(Image: Senne Lammens)
Onana prepared for this season under the assumption he would remain at Old Trafford, but Amorim has axed him from his plans and a joint decision was made to send him on loan.
Altay Bayindir has begun the campaign as first choice between the sticks. Onana was recalled to face Grimsby in the Carabao Cup and made a mistake for their second goal, which means he has made a shocking nine errors leading to a goal since the beginning of last season.
Sources close to the player have noted he will receive a pay rise in Turkey, partly due to the low tax rate for Super Lig players and the signing-on fee he will receive. They are clutching at straws to try to find positives.
Onana has suffered a spectacular fall from grace. He started in a Champions League final in June 2023, but will now play for a club that is not even considered among Turkey’s traditional powerhouses.
The failure to cut out mistakes has cost Onana his career in Manchester.