The Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur may prove to be a rather fitting last stand for multiple members of Ruben Amorim’s heartbroken Manchester United roster.
Casemiro’s physical decline can be ignored no longer, the Brazilian trudging through treacle during a rare Spurs break in the second half.
Andre Onana, Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund sealed their fates, too, on a night when Manchester United’s issues at both ends of the pitch shone through like blood under a UV light at the scene of a tragic crime.
Onana was not alone in causing the goal which ended Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought in Bilbao. Brennan Johnson prodded his 42nd minute winner past a lethargic Onana – the Man United goalkeeper taking an age to react – but neither Shaw, Harry Maguire nor Patrick Dorgu covered themselves in glory as Pape Matar Sarr floated a cross into the mixer.
Ruben Amorim seems ready to move Andre Onana on after two years at Old Trafford.
To think – as Massimo Taibi knows only too well – it used to take only one blunder to end a goalkeeper’s Manchester United career. How many has Onana made since arriving from Inter Milan back in 2023?
A lot more than one certainly, with Tottenham’s Europa League final decider not even making his top ten worst blunders.
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to Manchester United rumour addressed by former Serie A champion
Bringing in Vanja Milinkovic-Savic from Torino would represent a return to a more old-school style of goalkeeping at Man United.
A former Red Devils junior, Milinkovic-Savic is a bearded, broad-shouldered 6ft 8ins Serbian who tends to focus on doing the simple things well.
Former Torino glovesman Raffaele Di Fusco, however, feels that Milinkovic-Savic is at home with a team sitting 11th in the Serie A table. Man United – although their chances of an 11th place finish died a death long ago – obviously have much loftier ambitions.
“He is a goalkeeper proportionate to the objectives of the club. He is a good goalkeeper for what Toro is,” Di Fusco tells Torino Granata. “I don’t see him as a goalkeeper for a team that wins the Champions League, and Manchester [United] is fighting to win this.”
Well, not quite at the moment, but the point still stands.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Man United have been in contact with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic already. The brother of former Lazio talisman and one-time Red Devils target Sergej, he is rumoured to have a £17 million release clause in his Torino contract.
Milinkovic-Savic tipped to leave Torino for Napoli
Di Fusco, a two-time Serie A champion with Napoli during Diego Maradona’s heyday, does admit that Milinkovic-Savic has made great strides in the last few seasons even if he still falls outside of the elite bracket.
His 77 save percentage is the third highest tally in Serie A. Onana, in contrast, saves only 68 per cent of the shots he faces in the Premier League.
“In the last two years, he has matured a lot. He is less carefree and crazy and is more consistent,” adds Di Fusco, feeling that a move to Man United would be one Milinkovic-Savic could not turn down despite a dramatic fall from grace post-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, let alone Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I repeat, he is a good goalkeeper, not a great one. And then it depends on what the teams are looking for. I don’t know if he is linked to Napoli, but he could [fit] there.
“Compared to three seasons ago, he is a different goalkeeper. That is undeniable. He is more consistent, he moves better in the penalty area, and he has also improved from a technical point of view.
“I don’t allow myself to give advice but, if Manchester [United] calls you to be a starter, how can you say no? The same thing would apply to Napoli, who will be playing in the Champions League.”
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