Man Utd players Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte
A stunning report has claimed certain Manchester United players are ‘relieved’ a teammate has left and a ‘nonsense’ problem solved, while it’s also stated confidence in a second star is plummeting.
Just as important as who Man Utd brought in this summer was who the club shipped out. There were no shortage of unwanted players at Old Trafford and when all was said and done, the vast majority did depart.
Indeed, Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea) and Antony (Real Betis) were both sold. Jadon Sancho (Aston Villa), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona) and Rasmus Hojlund (Napoli) all left via the loan route. Rashford’s deal contains an option to buy for €35m, while Hojlund’s terms contain a conditional obligation to buy that includes a largely unreported clause.
Elsewhere, the arrival of Senne Lammens on deadline day left Man Utd with four senior goalkeepers on the books. At 23, Lammens is the youngest of the lot.
Ultimately, Andre Onana was turfed out to Trabzonspor on a season-long loan with that deal completed in the last 24 hours. The agreement does not contain an option/obligation to buy, though more on what happens next with Onana later.
Fabrizio Romano reported one of the reasons United wanted Onana gone was to ensure they weren’t placing unnecessary pressure on Lammens.
Having a high profile and costly goalkeeper like Onana in reserve – he remains the world’s fourth most expensive goalkeeper signing – would inevitably become a talking point if and when Lammens makes a mistake.
And according to a fresh update from the Manchester Evening News, some Man Utd stars are glad Onana has been removed from the equation.
It’s claimed certain players are ‘relieved’ the club no longer have to mess around with the ‘nonsense’ of having four senior goalkeepers in the building.
Some stars are claimed to believe Onana being in situ but not playing would have created a ‘problem’, which does echo Romano’s prior reporting.
Furthermore, it was stated Man Utd players had lost confidence in Onana and his disasterclass of a display in the League Cup exit at the hands of Grimsby Town will only have exacerbated their fears.
Long-term Man Utd plan for Andre Onana
Onana may have taken a step down in moving to Trabzonspor, but he’s certainly being well compensated as a result.
The Turkish side are covering 100 percent of the goalkeeper’s salary during the loan and through the aid of a sign-on fee and bonuses, Onana will now earn close to double what he would have pocketed if staying in Manchester.
As mentioned, Onana’s deal doesn’t contain an option or obligation to buy. Nevertheless, TEAMtalk can confirm United’s ideal outcome is Onana performs well in Turkey, rehabilitates his reputation as an error-prone stopper, and is snapped up in a permanent transfer by another club next summer.
Even if Onana excels at Trabzonspor, there appears to be no way back for the 29-year-old at Old Trafford, just as there wasn’t for Sancho after his loan spells with Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea, and for Antony after his loan spell at Real Betis.
Confidence ‘dwindling’ in Bayindir too
Interestingly, when the MEN relayed news of United stars losing faith in Onana, they also claimed the same is true of Bayindir.
The Turkey international is expected to start in goal in the derby clash with Manchester City on Sunday despite Lammens being signed to be the new No 1.
Lammens will seemingly be eased in and a trip to the Etihad may not be the most welcoming of places to make his debut. Any United goalkeeper playing away at Man City can expect a busy outing.
Bayindir has started all of Man Utd’s league encounters so far this season, though like Onana before him, he’s failed to convince.
Bayindir was at fault for Arsenal’s winner on the opening weekend when failing to deal with a corner. And per the MEN, many of the United squad’s ‘confidence has dwindled’ in Bayindir too.