Manchester United have four goalkeepers in the squad now with Senne Lammens’ signing, but the one under most pressure is the theoretical “No. 1”, Andre Onana.
Andre Onana has been absent from the starting XI for three of Man Utd’s four games this season, and dropped a bad performance against Grimsby on his only start.
Ruben Amorim has clearly preferred Altay Bayindir over Onana, and with Senne Lammens’ style of play extremely exciting, he can be considered ahead of the Cameroonian as well.
While Onana’s performances alone are reason enough for his reduced status, two incidents have also soured his relationship with Amorim.
Ruben Amorim’s sour relationship with Andre Onana
It speaks volumes about how much Onana’s stock has fallen that, at one point, Bayindir wasn’t even considered a backup to him.
The Turkish goalkeeper was just filling in the numbers because Onana started every game, in the cup or the league.
He was Amorim’s No. 1 as well, but The Athletic report that a couple of incidents in the past few months have completely soured their relationship.
The first happened at the start of the pre-season, when Onana returned to training, only to pick up an injury immediately after.
It led the staff to question the shape he reported with for pre-season, and on Amorim, who was resetting the standards at Carrington, left a ‘lasting impression’.
The second happened at the start of the season as well, and is perhaps the more unbelievable one.
United players receive a 25% cut to their wages if the club is not in European competitions, but Onana, fresh off a disastrous campaign, returned to Carrington wanting a new contract.
Needless to say, this stance did not go down well with Amorim, who was already exasperated with him.
He was consequently dropped for the season opener against Arsenal, and, as it stands, remains third-choice behind Bayindir and Lammens.
Onana has ended chances of Man Utd revival
Before this report, it was believed that Onana’s standing at Old Trafford had it all to do with his performances, which was a valid enough reason.
However, if the report above is accurate, the rot runs much deeper, and the chances of Onana making a comeback at the club are close to zero.
Injuries are often not in a player’s control beyond a certain point, but wanting a new contract after a disastrous season, both from a personal and the team’s point of view is tone-deaf.
It came in the light of United cutting many jobs at the club to streamline their operations, while the 25% cut due to not being in UCL is just a financial move to account for lower earnings.
If anything, Onana’s errors played a major role in the club finding itself in the position it’s in, so he should be the last one to ask for a new contract.
Performances can go up or down, injuries can happen, but that particular stance of wanting a new contract in these circumstances is enough reason on its own to end his chances of a revival at United.
It would be extremely deserved.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
