Andre Onana appears to have taken his Manchester United axe positively despite his future now being up in the air. The Cameroonian was dropped from the Red Devils squad for their trip to Newcastle after a series of high-profile errors.
Two of those mistakes came in his most recent outing against Lyon following a war of words with ex-United midfielder Nemanja Matic. Back-up keeper Altay Bayindir was selected instead of Onana against Newcastle but he did little to convince he is a long-term option.
It remains to be seen whether Onana will return between the sticks in United’s next game against Lyon but his recent omission does not appear to have caused lasting issues. According to those close to him, the goalkeeper’s enforced break has done him good.
It is said that a weekend away from football allowed the former Inter Milan keeper to rest and recharge both from a physical and mental point of view. Onana was back at Carrington for training this week as Ruben Amorim attempts to get his side prepared for this Thursday’s decisive game against Lyon.
Explaining Onana’s omission, the Portuguese coach said: “Of course, you have to see the context,” Amorim told Sky Sports. “It is a normal thing. Sometimes, you have to push the player to play again, sometimes you have to let him disconnect a little bit.
“Tomorrow, he will be in training to prepare for the next one [Lyon] so I felt that it was a good time for Andre to disconnect. I think he was okay [about it] because I explained and then, you don’t need to like [it], but you understand because I explain every situation.
“It’s a normal situation,” he added. “You have to manage everything, sometimes people just look at the physical aspect but the mental aspect is really, really important.
“It’s for just one game and we give Altay an opportunity, he deserves it also and then, again, tomorrow is a new life and we will prepare for the next one.”
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Onana’s omission has seen his long-term future at Old Trafford called into question. There have been suggestions that Saudi Arabia could be a potential destination for him should he decide to quit United.
But there are a few hurdles to any exit. United would need to receive in excess of Onana’s book value of £26.3m in order to make a profit in the eyes of PSR. He is also not considering a move at the current time and is instead more focused on turning the tide.
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