By Laurie Whitwell, Luke Bosher and more
Ruben Amorim has confirmed Andre Onana will return to the Manchester United team for Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final second leg with Lyon.
Onana was not included in the United squad which lost 4-1 at Newcastle United on Sunday, with head coach Amorim explaining that “it is a good time to disconnect”. The Cameroon international had faced criticism over both goals conceded in the first leg against Lyon, though was only credited with one ‘error leading to a goal’, according to Opta.
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Asked about his selection in goal for Thursday’s game at Old Trafford, Amorim said: “Onana will play tomorrow.”
“I just think first of all as a coach and also as a former player, I try to do things that help a player in this situation,” he added. “Sometimes we talk about managing players physically but we also have to do it mentally. But they also have to return to competition. This week my thinking was to put Onana to play.”
Altay Bayindir replaced Onana against Newcastle, making his first Premier League start for United since joining from Fenerbahce in the summer of 2023. However, the 27-year-old was at fault for Newcastle’s fourth goal after his pass was intercepted by Joelinton, who set up Bruno Guimaraes to score.
Bayindir has been sparingly used at United, with Onana often selected to start cup and European games ahead of the Turkey international. He has only featured eight times for United, keeping two clean sheets, but did earn plaudits for his performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup in January, when he saved one penalty in normal time and one in the shootout as his side progressed.
The Newcastle game, meanwhile, was the first league fixture Onana had missed since his move to Old Trafford from Inter nearly two years ago. The 29-year-old has kept 23 clean sheets in his 94 appearances across all competitions.
United had gone behind against Lyon last Thursday after Thiago Almada’s in-swinging deep free kick bypassed everyone and was palmed in by Onana. A goal in just before half-time from Leny Yoro and then one in the 88th minute from Joshua Zirkzee had United in front, before Rayan Cherki followed up a save from Onana to equalise in second-half stoppage time.
United are 15th in the Premier League, 17 points behind fifth-placed Manchester City.
‘The only sensible choice Amorim could make’
Analysis by Manchester United correspondent Mark Critchley
Onana’s return to the starting line-up should not really come as surprise.
Bayindir had an opportunity against Newcastle to play his way into Amorim’s thoughts for Thursday night but failed to seize it and the United coach always insisted that his first-choice goalkeeper would be back in contention after using the weekend to “disconnect”.
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This Europea League quarter-final second leg is simply too important not to put as strong as possible a side out, and Amorim is convinced that Onana is now the right frame of mind to play.
But there is a risk that by taking him out of the spotlight only to thrust him back into it, he has simply heightened the scrutiny on his goalkeeper. Especially given the opposition.
“That is the dilemma, this is the big factor on being a coach, everything you do has two ways. He is going to be really good tomorrow, I am sure of that, but if it is the other way, people say it is a bad decision,” Amorim said.
In that respect, his handling of Onana this week has been something of a gamble and one that he can ill afford to go wrong. But restoring the Cameroonian to the line-up was the only sensible choice Amorim could make, and now he must hope his goalkeeper has put last week’s mistakes behind him.
(Photo: Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
