Onana faces being dropped for Man Utd’s trip to Newcastle as Amorim gets tough
Andre Onana had a night to forget for Manchester United in their 2-2 draw at Lyon, and now he could play for that with his place in the team at Newcastle
Ruben Amorim is seriously considering dropping goalkeeper Andre Onana for Manchester United’s visit to Newcastle on Sunday. Onana had a night to forget in Thursday night’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Lyon in France, where the former Inter Milan keeper was at fault for both of the Ligue 1 side’s goals.
First the Cameroonian allowed a long range free-kick from Thiago Almada to beat him and find the corner of the net for the opener, and then in stoppage time – after goals from Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee looked to have secured United a precious first leg lead – he spilled a shot out for Rayan Cherki to follow up for the equaliser.
Amorim publicly defended Onana in the immediate aftermath of the game, but now the Daily Mail are reporting that the Portuguese is considering taking him out of the firing line for Sunday’s clash on Tyneside.
READ MORE: Manchester United players brutally mocked by Lyon rival with one-word verdictREAD MORE: Ruben Amorim hails Man Utd star Joshua Zirkzee for reaction to being booed by own fans
Onana would be replaced by Altay Bayindir should he be left out of the side, with none of the 26-year-old Turkish international’s seven United appearances having previously come in the Premier League.
The introduction of Bayindir could be one of numerous changes made by Amorim, with the United boss saying after the natch: “We have to face Newcastle with a team that can be competitive to win the game.
“Sometimes winning games is the best way of preparing for the next one. Of course, I am going to be careful with some players but again we need to be competitive.”
Should Amorim opt to make a number of changes to his side then that could be seen as evidence that the Portuguese boss is prioritising the Europa League for the remainder of the season, with United down in 13th place in the Premier League.
Speaking on TNT Sports after the draw with Lyon, ex-United star Paul Scholes said he believes Amorim doesn’t like the players at his disposal. “I don’t think he likes his team to be honest, I think he knows he hasn’t got a great football team. I think he wants better. I think he needs better,” he said.
“You can see you can see that with the way he is on the touchline. He always looks disappointed to me.
“The way he is speaking there tells me he is disappointed with what he has gone. Everyone knows he needs better if he is going to challenge and Man United are to be where they want to be. It’s all over the pitch.”
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