Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana is once again the talk of the town at Carrington, and for all the wrong reasons.
The 29-year-old had dominated the headlines in the buildup for the first-leg clash against Lyon in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.
The custodian suggested that his team possesses so much more quality than their French opponents, sparking a back-and-forth media spat with former Man Utd midfielder Nemanja Matic who currently plays his football at OL at the age of 37.
But while the Reds were hoping that the Cameroonian would back up his claim on the pitch, he had another stinker between the posts. His costly blunders forced the Reds to settle for a 2-2 draw.
Andre Onana risks being dropped following horrific display in France
Nevertheless, his teammate Joshua Zirkzee jumped to his defence. The Dutchman, who came off the bench to score United’s second on the night, insisted everyone in the locker room remains behind Onana who must not be held culpable for the result.
“We’re one team, so we’re not going to take someone out for making mistakes. That’s ridiculous,” said the former Bologna star in his post-match interview (via The Mirror).
“To draw in this way is always a little bit, I don’t want to say frustrating, but it hurts for it to go this way.
“We just have to focus on the next game and that’s Newcastle away. Then we all know what we have to do when we face them [Lyon] again at home next week.”
On the other hand, Ruben Amorim may be less forgiven this time. The Portuguese offered words of encouragement after the contest in France, but according to The Daily Mail, these were merely for the media, as the manager is now seriously considering dropping Onana from his starting lineup on Sunday.
Therefore, United’s second-choice goalkeeper Altay Bayindir could get the nod against Newcastle United. The 26-year-old Turkiye international has been struggling for playing time this season, but still has a host of suitors across Europe.
He needs to be dropped or it will end up like the Ten Hag / Antony situation if we end up with a penalty shoot out Onana is useless against penalties as he’s only saved 1 at United
I half wonder if he should be investigated for Sports Betting, cos if you’ve put a large sum on a 2-2 draw, or just a draw, that is exactly the type of performance you would put in. It’s not the first time he’s pushed the ball back out to the other Team’s attack; surely he should by now have learned that’s not a good idea.