Rúben Amorim’s thoughts on one of his Manchester United squad members have reportedly taken a turn following pre-season training at Carrington.
Manchester United managed to raise significant funds during the final week of the summer transfer window as Rúben Amorim looked to clear out his squad.
The club’s current biggest sale this summer is Alejandro Garnacho’s move to Chelsea for £40 million, but this could be eclipsed by Rasmus Højlund’s move to Napoli later this season.
The Dane has headed to Naples on a season-long loan, with Antonio Conte’s side paying a loan fee of around £5 million. However, if they qualify for the Champions League, they are obligated to pay a further £38 million to sign him permanently.
United also sold Antony to Real Betis for a £21.7 million fee plus 50% of any future sale price. At the same time, Marcus Rashford headed to Barcelona on loan for the season, with the La Liga side retaining the option to sign him for around £30 million next summer.
Jadon Sancho also secured a season-long loan switch to Premier League rivals Aston Villa, with the Birmingham outfit paying an undisclosed loan fee and covering between 80-100% of his salary, based on performance bonuses.
Amorim unimpressed with Onana’s pre-season return
One other star many expected to be on the chopping block was André Onana, who had a shocking bad campaign across 2024/25 after Amorim joined the club.
With United out of the Champions League, Onana’s wage package was reduced by 25%, a standard clause at the club. According to The Athletic, as a result, the Cameroon goalkeeper returned to Carrington with hopes of securing a new deal.
However, on the first day of pre-season, he reported an issue with his hamstring, and by day two, it had become a full-blown injury. Those at United questioned what shape Onana had returned to the club in to suffer an injury so early, with Amorim already unimpressed with the player’s contract stance.
This injury setback is said to have left a lasting negative impression on Amorim regarding Onana, as clearly expressed with Altay Bayındır starting all three Premier League games and the deadline-day signing of Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Onana could yet leave United this summer
The English transfer window closed at 19:00 BST on Monday, 1 September, but several other windows across Europe and other major leagues still represent further chances for sales.
According to ESPN, although Lammens’ arrival does not mean one of Onana or Bayındır has to leave, it’s noted that a transfer for Onana may yet happen.
The report states that the Turkish side, Galatasaray, have been exploring signing the Cameroon international after missing out on Manchester City’s Ederson.
Although it’s also noted that Onana has no intention to leave and aims to fight for his place, with the Turkish window open until Friday, 12 September and his starting XI position under serious threat, he may yet change his mind.
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