Andre Onana will not play for Manchester United at Newcastle United this afternoon – and, contrary to the official line that the Cameroon international has been rested, TalkOfTheDevils understands that the goalkeeper has been dropped and could be in risk of being left out for the remainder of the season.
Onana has had a difficult time at Old Trafford, with numerous errors in his first few months as the club suffered a catastrophic Champions League campaign. This season has not been much better – though there have been fewer errors leading to goals, the goalkeeper has frustrated United’s own support with the amount of time he takes with the ball and also his weak shot-stopping performances.
A poor season turned into a high profile disappointment this week when Onana’s pre-match quotes ahead of the Europa League tie with Lyon were noted by former United midfielder Nemanja Matic. Matic described Onana as ‘one of the worst goalkeepers in the club’s history’, and Onana responded with a tweet that boasted of his FA Cup win last season – a reference to Matic having won nothing while at the club.
Predictably, Onana was then at fault for both Lyon goals – a headache in an otherwise decent away performance.
The Guardian reported that Onana has been rested.
While Altay Bayindir is set to make his Premier League debut at St James’ Park, the 29-year-old is likely to be recalled for Thursday’s quarter-final, second leg at Old Trafford, the Guardian understands. Onana was left behind when United travelled to Tyneside on Saturday.
On Thursday at the Groupama Stadium, Onana allowed Thiago Almada’s first-half free-kick to go straight in. Then, in the final minute of added time, he steered Corentin Tolisso’s shot straight to Rayan Cherki, who scored.
Although immediately after the match Amorim offered Onana a vote of confidence, the United head coach believes being taken out the line of fire will be of benefit after the errors and recent off-the-field difficulties.
However, it is our understanding that this could be seen as an audition for Altay Bayindir; if the Turkish international, who did well in the FA Cup tie at Arsenal, instils calm in his defence on Tyneside, then he is surely in contention to keep the spot for the second leg against the French side on Thursday.
The decision echoes that made by Sir Alex Ferguson in 1990, when he dropped Jim Leighton and called up Les Sealey. Amorim will be hoping for a similar result.
*TalkOfTheDevils also understands that youngsters Harry Amass and Chido Obi are in line for surprise starts.
