Andre Onana has not given up hope of winning back his spot as Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper and is able to battle Senne Lammens for the gloves.
The 29-year-old touched down at Old Trafford with weighty expectations on his shoulders following a high-profile move from Inter Milan – price within the region of £47million – back in 2023.
He arrived in English football with a popularity as a dependable shot-stopper, comfortable with the ball at his feet and possessing a large passing range.
But questions over Onana’s elite-level credentials grew because the Cameroon international produced costly mistake after costly mistake over the course of a shaky debut season under Erik ten Hag on the Theatre of Dreams.
Ten Hag – who had previously worked with Onana at Ajax – continued to back his man in the summertime of 2024. Nonetheless, the blunders kept coming last term and United told the ‘keeper he was free to seek out a brand new club ahead of the summer transfer window.
Onana would go on to hitch Trabzonspor on loan and the previous Ajax and Inter primary has made 18 appearances in all competitions for the Super Lig outfit this season.
And while Onana’s performances have received mixed reviews in Turkey, it appears his ambitions to prove himself as David de Gea’s long-term alternative – the initial hope when he joined United – aren’t yet over.
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Based on The Guardian, Onana ‘desires to fight to re-establish himself’ as United’s primary again when he returns to Manchester on the conclusion of the 2056/26 campaign.
The report claims Onana ‘believes he shall be given a probability’ to win back the trust he lost across his two error-strewn seasons, despite the encouraging start Lammens has enjoyed within the Premier League.
Onana still has two-and-a-half years remaining on his current contract with the Red Devils.
Should Onana be given a probability to win back his place?
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A protracted list of goalkeepers were linked with United last summer before the club eventually honed in on an £18m deal for highly rated Royal Antwerp teenager Lammens on deadline day.
In that point, the Belgium international has hardly put a foot improper in a United shirt, at the same time as results spiraled towards the tip of Ruben Amorim’s turbulent reign.
Lammens’ assured displays between the sticks have been instrumental in Michael Carrick’s remarkable success since taking up the reins as interim manager, with the club dropping just two points from their last six games.
The 23-year-old’s man-of-the-match showing against Everton on Monday night was especially impressive given the Toffees’ attempts to outmuscle United from the set-piece – with Carrick’s men forced to defend nine corners within the second half alone.
He also produced two outstanding stops to disclaim Harrison Armstrong and Michael Keane.
‘Their goalkeeper did a fantastic job,’ Everton head coach David Moyes said of Lammens after the ultimate whistle.
‘He made an incredible save from Michael Keane, looked as if he could take every corner kick. I believed there was a goal in there for us but we couldn’t quite do it.
‘The goalie was bloody good for them tonight. The save he constructed from Michael Keane, the corner kicks.
‘The pressure we had. You’ll be able to look one other way and say we should always have tried something else. For me their goalkeeper was one of the best player tonight.’
After his high-quality performance on Merseyside, Lammens made sure to credit all the defensive unit for the resilience they showed to return away from Hill Dickinson Stadium with a clean sheet.
‘If you happen to work together, should you defend well, should you don’t give goals away, then we’ve players up top who could make the difference,’ he told Sky Sports.
‘One flash, one counter, and then you definately can rating. And should you keep the zero, then you definately can win away in this difficult game. So, I’m really comfortable today.
‘I feel for the reason that manager has are available in as well, we’ve been defending very well together, actually all season almost.
‘So, we knew if me personally and the defence give us a probability, keep the zero, now we at all times have a probability to win, and that was the case today.
‘Like I said, it wasn’t the prettiest one, but should you work that tough for it, sometimes it’s one of the best one.’
On his promising debut season with United, the Belgian added: ‘I just attempt to stay calm, play my very own game. I do know I even have the qualities, I wouldn’t be here otherwise.
‘So, I just imagine in myself, the players around me and my teammates support me really much.
‘Now I just carry on constructing, keep getting that confidence. Like today, getting those wins, feeling essential, is admittedly essential.’
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