Andre Onana does not yet know if he will be recalled for Manchester United’s crunch Europa League quarter-final tie against Lyon on Thursday. Onana was dropped by boss Ruben Amorim for Sunday’s 4-1 defeat at Newcastle, after the United goalkeeper’s two howlers in their 2-2 first-leg draw away to Lyon.
The decision was taken by Amorim to allow Onana to “rest and disconnect” after his calamitous showing in Lyon, with the expectation that he would return for the second leg. But Amorim has yet to tell Onana if he will be restored to the starting line-up for Thursday’s tie, from which United must advance if they are to salvage something from a shambolic season.
That is despite Onana’s replacement, Altay Bayindir, shipping four goals on his Premier League debut and gifting Newcastle their fourth with a poorly attempted pass out from the back.
Those close to Onana say the enforced break at the weekend – which brought to an end his run of playing 69 successive Premier League games for United – has done him good.
It allowed the 29-year-old to rest and recharge, physically and mentally, before returning to training ahead of the game that will ultimately make or break United’s season.
Onana was at fault for both of Lyon’s goals last week and although Amorim gave him a vote of confidence in the immediate aftermath of the game, he decided to give him time to clear his head.
As well as his on-field issues, Onana has been dealing with off-field problems, with his wife the victim of a street robbery last week that left the family needing 24-hour protection.
Melanie Kamayou was targeted by a thief who stole her £62,000 Hermes bag and Rolex watch as she got out of her car to meet a friend for dinner in Alderley Edge in Cheshire.
Despite the off-field trauma, Onana continued to play for United, although his performances have drawn criticism this season.
Former United midfielder Nemanja Matic – now at Lyon – branded Onana “one of the worst keepers in United’s history” after the keeper had said Amorim’s side were “way better” than their French opponents.
Onana hit back by saying that, unlike Matic – who spent five years at United – he had won a trophy with the Red Devils, with victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final last season.
United must win the Europa League to ensure Champions League football next season, with qualification worth close to £100million in terms of revenue to the club, as well as their ability to attract better players who want to play at the highest level in Europe.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
