Andre Onana’s Manchester United tenure appears to have hit a new low point.
The struggling goalkeeper was left out of Manchester’s squad for Sunday’s trip to face Newcastle United, the team announced.
Onana will be replaced by backup Altay Bayindir, who’s set for his Premier League debut. Tom Heaton will serve as the 26-year-old’s backup.
Head coach Ruben Amorim’s decided to drop Onana to give the Cameroon international time to “rest and disconnect” after a difficult week for the 29-year-old, ESPN’s Rob Dawson reports.
Onana engaged in a war of words with former Manchester United player Nemanja Matic before Thursday’s Europa League game, saying the Red Devils were “way better” than the midfielder’s current team, Lyon.
Matic responded by calling Onana “one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history.” Onana then committed an error deep into stoppage time, which allowed Lyon to score and secure a 2-2 draw heading into the second leg.
Amorim assured Onana he remains the team’s first-choice goalkeeper, moving forward, Dawson reports.
Onana has nine clean sheets in 31 Premier League games and is among the league leaders for the most errors (three) leading to a goal.
He arrived from Inter Milan in 2023 for an initial £43 million and won the FA Cup with United last season.