André Onana is in his second season at Manchester United and life isn’t getting any easier. Last season he started all of United’s games and they finished eighth. He came under a hail of criticism with fans reckoning him a pale shadow of David De Gea. After a busy transfer window came the chance to start afresh on a clean slate, surely things couldn’t get worse? If the Cameroonian posed this question, he must wish he hadn’t tempted fate.
Time to say goodbye?
The Red Devils won’t be relegated but they’re firmly out of the Premier League’s top-10. A position they haven’t been in since the Premier League began over 30 years ago. Onana will admit that it’s also not been a great season for him personally. He has been at fault for many of the goals United has needlessly conceded. Two weekends ago, he got away with sloppy handling to help his team grab a point against Manchester City.
However, the 29-year-old was exposed during the Europa League tie against Lyon last Thursday. His blunders cost Man U two precious points, setting up a tense return match at Old Trafford this week. Yesterday Coach Ruben Amorim decided to take a chance on Turkish backup keeper Altay Bayindir. Onana didn’t even take the trip to Newcastle as a backup. Naturally, this rare omission from the Man U lineup got tongues wagging. Is Amorim finally ready to cut his losses and let the Cameroonian leave this summer?
No André Onana, No big difference
Not that things went any better between the sticks for the Devils. Bayindir’s weak clearance was easily intercepted by Joelinton, gifting Magpies captain Bruno Guimarães an easy goal. Earlier, the Reds stand-in keeper almost handed Newcastle striker Alexander Isak a similar gift. Anywho, back to Onana. Was his complete omission from the St. James’ Park trip a sign that his Man U days are numbered? Not according to his manager. Amorim planned to give to give André Onana time to cool his heels away from the spotlight.
Feeling the pressure
“I left him at home because any situation of the game, the cameras would be on him and he was not playing, he (would be) on the bench but feeling the pressure.” If rest really was the motive, then I must say I agree with the Man U boss’s decision. His default custodian hasn’t had a break all season, starting all 31 of The Red Devils’ EPL games prior to the Newcastle debacle. Smug as the result may have made Onana, some corner of his mind must be considering life away from Manchester.
It’s been two seasons at Old Trafford with nothing but an FA Cup medal to show for it. Yet he arrived having won two domestic trophies with Inter Milan and missed the Champions League by a whisker. Prior to that, he had racked up several honors with Ajax Amsterdam. A parting of ways may be the best for both parties. At 29, Onana still has at least seven years of top-level soccer in his hands.
