Ruben Amorim has dropped André Onana from the Manchester United squad to face Newcastle in their Premier League clash this weekend.
Manchester United played the first-leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Lyon on Thursday evening and all of the attention was on André Onana.
Before the game, the goalkeeper caused a stir with his comments, where he stated that United were “way better” than their French opposition.
Lyon fans were booing him from the first moment of the game and the pressure seemed to get to the goalkeeper, who made terrible errors for both goals in the 2-2 draw.
That performance led to questions about him being dropped for the upcoming games ahead of the Premier League clash against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
United’s stance on recalling Onana vs Lyon
It has been reported by various outlets ahead of that game that Onana has not travelled with the squad up North after his disaster-class.
Instead, backup ‘keeper Altay Bayındır is expected to start between the sticks against the Magpies in what will be his first game since returning from injury.
However, many fans are more interested in the club’s stance on Onana ahead of the second-leg against Lyon, which is much more important than any remaining Premier League game.
MailSport have claimed that it is likely Onana is reinstated to the team for that game next Thursday and that he is being offered to “clear his head” over the weekend.
Of course, an unbelievable performance from Bayındır against Newcastle may influence Amorim’s decision, but it seems like the most likely outcome is for Onana to be recalled.
Difficult for Onana to turn things around
When a player is out of form and being questioned by the fanbase, it is almost always possible to turn that around with performances on the pitch.
The problem with being a goalkeeper is that you can’t score goals, run around a lot or make some crunching tackles to turn that opinion around.
Instead it is the question of turning up in the biggest moments and going long stretches without mistakes. Onana has been able to do the former over his United career so far – making some great stops in crucial periods for the team.
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However, the mistakes always seem to be around the corner with him and that is what makes the fanbase uneasy with him between the sticks.
The only way to get back on side with the fanbase is to produce consistent performances over a long stretch and it remains to be seen whether he will get the time to do that.
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