British media reports that Manchester United's manager Ruben Amolin has notified Andre Onana that he can leave freely, with teams from Turkey and the Saudi Professional League expressing interest. Following Sena Ramens' signing, Onana no longer has a long-term future at the club.
Ramens, who joined Manchester United for a transfer fee exceeding £18 million, is guaranteed to be at least the second goalkeeper, especially since he was recruited by Amolin himself. The former second-choice keeper for the Red Devils, Altay Bayindir, is pushing for a starting spot and has started all three Premier League matches this season.
Bayindir’s performances have been inconsistent, of course. In the first round of the Premier League, he was pulled by Arsenal’s Saliba during a corner, causing a mis-kick that led to conceding the only goal in a 0-1 defeat. Manchester United legend Roy Keane criticized him, saying there is no excuse to blame the opponent for fouls. "Premier League goalkeepers must be aggressive. I've said many times, goalkeepers need to use force to confront opponents. You must take control actively, but he was too soft, like a schoolboy playing football. Manchester United looked weak and powerless."
However, Onana has no grounds to reclaim the starting position either. In the League Cup match against League Two side Grimsby, he made a similar error, failing to secure the ball on a charge, allowing the opponent an easy tap-in. Manchester United suffered a shocking penalty shootout elimination.
According to "TEAMtalk," the loss to Grimsby may have been the final straw for Onana. Amolin has directly informed the 29-year-old Cameroonian goalkeeper that he can leave whenever he finds a new club. If he stays at Manchester United, he will not be guaranteed a starting role and may not even make the bench; everything depends on his performance. "Outside Stand" reported that Onana was told as early as August that Manchester United planned to sign a new goalkeeper.
Onana is currently the highest-paid goalkeeper at Manchester United. If he is no longer the first choice, the club will inevitably look to sell him in the future, and Amolin is very willing to approve his transfer. Manchester United is not only willing to sell Onana but may also agree to loan him out. Even if he cannot move to Turkey or Saudi Arabia this summer, the club might consider new offers in January. Two years ago, United’s chief scout Mike Brown confirmed that Onana had been explicitly told he was not part of future plans.
Onana’s inability to leave during the summer window is due to his own wishes. So far, most clubs have shown little interest in signing him, as his salary demands deter potential suitors. He earns between £120,000 and £150,000 per week at Manchester United, and his agent is pushing for a raise.
Brown revealed that Manchester United tried to sell Onana at the last moment of the transfer window but failed to attract buyers. "If possible, Manchester United still wants to sell Onana," Brown said. "He has no future at the club, which has made that clear, and the coach has removed him from the Premier League starting lineup. Then United signed a new goalkeeper, ready to move forward."
Regarding Onana’s future, he analyzed: "I think Manchester United will try to find a buyer for Onana during the January winter transfer window. By then, halfway through the season, some clubs might need a new goalkeeper, or someone might get injured, and then Onana can transfer. He has made too many mistakes while at United, and they no longer trust him. I’m surprised the club didn’t sell him in the summer, mainly because there was little interest. Now United hopes Ramens will become the suitable goalkeeper."
After two years of frequent errors at Manchester United, Onana is finding it hard to secure a new club in top leagues; only Turkey and Saudi Arabia remain interested. The Turkish transfer window stays open until September 12, and the Saudi window until September 22. "Outside Stand" reports that Saudi investors show the greatest interest in Onana, with three or four clubs considering him.
Among them, Jeddah United is very interested but currently has reached its foreign player quota, so they need to offload one foreign player before signing Onana. The three Riyadh giants are also considering changing their goalkeeper and might compete for Onana. Besides the well-known Al Hilal and Al Nassr, another club is Al Shabab Riyadh. Al Shabab has the squad space and is one of the clubs most eager to acquire Onana.
After the international break, Amolin faces a crucial decision before Manchester United’s Premier League away match at Manchester City. Ramens is not included in Belgium’s national squad, so he will have time to adapt before the Manchester derby, but most players will only regroup after next week. Thibaut Courtois, the Belgian legendary goalkeeper, highly appreciates Ramens, who is often compared to him as a promising successor.