Andre Onana left Manchester United on loan to join Trabzonspor, but it didn’t take long for the Cameroon goalkeeper to be reminded of his time in the Premier League.
The writing was on the wall for Andre Onana after he returned to pre-season with a hamstring injury. Ruben Amorim responded to that by making Altay Bayindir his first-choice goalkeeper at the start of the season, as Onana was limited to one appearance in the Carabao Cup defeat against Grimsby Town.
United had their eyes on Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa for the entire summer, but they eventually signed a keeper when Senne Lammens arrived from Royal Antwerp on deadline day. The Belgian made his debut in United’s 2-0 win over Sunderland before the international break and is set to make his second appearance against Liverpool at Anfield.
In terms of the goalkeeper situation at Old Trafford, there has been a lot for United fans to digest since the beginning of the season. It seems that Lammens is now on track to get a run in the team as Amorim’s new trustee between the sticks.
Peter Schmeichel observes Andre Onana’s introduction in Turkey
Since leaving United on loan, Onana has made four appearances for Trabzonspor.
The Cameroon international has managed to keep two clean sheets in those matches, and he is having to deal with far less pressure than he had at Old Trafford for over two years.
There is no denying now that Onana was not the ideal replacement for David de Gea, as Erik ten Hag opted for a goalkeeper who would struggle in the Premier League despite having managed him previously at Ajax.
Many have kept an eye on Onana’s performance since moving to Turkey, including United legend Peter Schmeichel.
Schmeichel has noted how Onana’s introduction to Turkish football gave him a throwback to his Premier League days, even though it’s something the Cameroonian may not want to be reminded about after flopping at Old Trafford.
“So we’ve had a couple where Jose Mourinho gets back to Benfica, and the first game he gets in Europe is against Chelsea,” Schmeichel said.
“Andre Onana leaves Manchester United to go to Turkey, to Trabzonspor, and Ederson leaves Man City to go to Fenerbahce. Would you believe the first game they play is against each other? It’s just crazy, football does that.”
The game in question ended 1-0 in Fenerbahce’s favour, as Youssef En-Nesyri scored against Onana in the 45th minute.
Andre Onana keeps two clean sheets for Cameroon
Onana featured in both of Cameroon’s World Cup qualifiers during the October international break.
Neither Angola nor Mauritius were able to find a way past Onana as he kept two clean sheets in his last two games.
The bad news for Onana is that Cameroon missed out on automatic qualification for the World Cup.
That means Cameroon will need to face play-offs to book their place in the 2026 World Cup.
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