Andre Onana's Fatal Mistake: How One Moment of 'Dissatisfaction' Sealed His Man Utd Fate
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim was allegedly "unhappy" with multiple elements of André Onana's behavior during preseason, which has now pushed the keeper toward a potential loan transfer to Turkey.
Multiple squad members have already failed to meet Amorim's high expectations. Marcus Rashford found himself excluded from first-team duties just weeks after the Portuguese manager's appointment following his inability to meet the training standards required by his new boss.
Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Jadon Sancho have similarly been moved on as part of a calculated strategy to eliminate any problematic personalities from Amorim's roster, despite the substantial financial implications. Ex-United defender Rio Ferdinand is among those praising this methodology which has now placed Onana close to securing a loan arrangement with Trabzonspor.
The former Inter shot-stopper has suffered through numerous high-profile errors throughout his two seasons at Old Trafford, though a piece from The Athletic indicates that his conduct away from the pitch also influenced Amorim's choice to seek a replacement goalkeeper.
Prior to the current season, United had no plans to acquire a new keeper. Nevertheless, Amorim was reportedly disappointed that Onana picked up a hamstring problem on day one of pre-season training. The 29-year-old's "assumption" that he would remain United's first-choice goalkeeper for the upcoming season also left his manager "unhappy."
Reports suggest that Onana "irritated" certain individuals at the club through his "strong character." Whether Amorim was included in that group remains uncertain.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly backed the choice to bring in a new goalkeeper—a proposal initially made by football director Jason Wilcox—following the opening Premier League match of the season versus Arsenal. Onana had been unexpectedly benched for that encounter in favor of Altay Bayındır, who struggled when failing to deal with Declan Rice's corner that resulted in the match's sole goal.
Notably, Onana was initially instructed not to pursue a new club before this position changed after the Deadline Day signing of Senne Lammens.
Onana's departure isn't completely forced upon him. The Cameroon keeper was set to negotiate the wage reduction he—along with his teammates—has faced since missing Champions League qualification. Not only has this difficult discussion with United's leadership been postponed, but he stands to earn approximately twice his current £120,000-per-week salary at Trabzonspor.