Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has decided to leave out his first-choice goalkeeper Andre Onana for Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Newcastle United, a report has claimed.
The erratic shot-stopper has come under extreme criticism for his recent performances. After being labelled “one of the worst goalkeepers in Man Utd history” by Lyon’s Nemanja Matic in midweek, Onana fumbled both goals in a Europa League draw against the French outfit.
With the quarter-final tie delicately poised at 2-2 ahead of Thursday’s decisive second leg at Old Trafford, Amorim admitted that he could rest key personnel for United’s trip to St James’ Park. Onana is expected to be part of the group which sits out Sunday’s Premier League fixture, according to The Athletic.
Although, whether Onana is being preserved for next week’s European decider or punished for his poor performances remains to be seen.
Since arriving from Inter in the summer of 2023, three different United head coaches have started Onana in every available top-flight fixture. The Cameroon international even delayed his departure to last year’s Africa Cup of Nations to ensure that he was available for a Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.
United’s reserve goalkeeper Altay Bayindir has amassed just six appearances across all competitions this season – while keeping two clean sheets – but is yet to make his Premier League debut since joining the club from Fenerbahce two years ago.
Amorim insisted that he was “really confident” in Onana despite his recent blunders but did hint at a potential alteration between the posts earlier this week. “The most important thing is to be natural and then when the time comes I will choose the best XI to play,” he warned.
United have been heavily tipped to recruit a new goalkeeper this summer. While a return for David De Gea no longer seems to be on the cards, there have been links to Brighton’s impressive shot-stopper Bart Verbruggen, Espanyol’s Joan Garcia and the young Belgian phenom Senne Lammens at Royal Antwerp.