LONDON: Andre Onana faces the defining match of his Manchester United career against Lyon in the Europa League on Friday morning as the English giants battle to revive their season.
The Cameroon international goalkeeper was the talk of the town ahead of the first leg of the quarter-final in France, which ended in a 2-2 draw, boldly claiming United were “much better” than their opponents.
It drew a backlash from former United midfielder Nemanja Matic, now at Lyon, who labelled him “one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history.”
Onana was booed and jeered by fans in France and his words were self-defeating when he was blamed for both of United’s goals.
United manager Ruben Amorim dropped him for the trip to Newcastle on Sunday, bringing on backup goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, but they lost 4-1 with the Turkey international blamed for the fourth goal.
Amorim now faces a decision that could determine their season – will he re-list Onana or choose Bayindir again?
The stakes are high. Defeat at Old Trafford would effectively end United’s season, with nothing left to do in the Premier League.
A victory would allow them to continue their dream of winning the Europa League, which is a passport to play in the Champions League next season.
United, managed by Erik ten Hag at the time, paid around £47 million to sign Onana from Inter Milan in 2023 as a replacement for David de Gea.
Ten Hag, who previously worked with the goalkeeper at Ajax, spoke about his skills with the ball.
The 29-year-old has shown glimpses of his prowess at Old Trafford and has repeatedly shown his ability with the ball at his feet.
But he was inconsistent and developed a reputation as a ‘disaster goalkeeper’.