Goalkeeper Andre Onana, who was once Erik ten Hag’s favorite, is still, somewhat surprisingly, under contract with Manchester United. – With a solid salary of €3.75 million, the bosses at Old Trafford have managed to recoup some of that through various loans.
Andre Onana is not part of Manchester United’s plans for the upcoming season, and according to several reports, an agreement for his departure is already in place.
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The 30-year-old goalkeeper spent the 2025/26 season on loan at Turkish club Trabzonspor, and was allowed to leave United last summer after a series of high-profile errors. The mistakes led to United bringing in Senne Lammens as their new first goalkeeper.
Onana was the club’s first choice to replace David de Gea, with then-director of football John Murtough referring to him as “one of the best goalkeepers in the world” when the £47.2m transfer was completed in 2023. Murtough even hinted that he would “develop even more in the coming years.”
But the future at Old Trafford seems increasingly uncertain. Now a new loan swap is on the horizon.
On Thursday, it emerged that Trabzonspor have reached an agreement to extend Onana’s loan deal for one season, according to journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu. He claims that the player’s lawyer is now reviewing the contract. Shortly after, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed that a verbal agreement has been reached – and that Trabzonspor will pay a loan fee to United.
Last time, the Turkish club agreed to cover Onana’s entire salary during the loan period. The goalkeeper saw his salary drop from around £170,000 a week to £120,000 after United failed to qualify for Europe.
Manana’s hopes of a comeback – crushed by Lammens
Back in April, it was reported that Onana wanted to restore his position as United’s number one after his loan spell, according to The Guardian. The Cameroonian international goalkeeper thought he would get the chance to prove his worth.
But United have other plans. After Senne Lammens’ brilliant debut season, there is no going back to the first team for Onana.
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Van der Sar: “He has tremendous qualities, but…
Onana was sent on loan just days after he made two mistakes in United’s Carabao Cup defeat to League Two side Grimsby Town. Edwin van der Sar, who himself had a very successful period at Old Trafford, has previously shared his thoughts on why Onana struggled.
“I worked with Andre for three or four years at Ajax. He came in as third choice and was very eager to step up and become first choice,” Van der Sar said on The Overlap.
“I thought – and still believe – that he has enormous qualities: reflexes and legs. But somehow he has that weird flaw in him that makes you think, “That’s crazy, how can he do that?”
“A team wants stability – to know what your goalkeeper is doing, so that the backfire and defense can relate to him. And I think that’s what became the problem with Andre.
“Manchester United haven’t had stability for the last six or seven years – the back four has changed, centre-backs and midfielders have come and gone, coaches have been replaced. It’s hard for new players to get into an environment where expectations are sky-high – not just for goalkeepers, but for everyone.
Van der Sar added:
“I definitely thought he would succeed when he came here. I worked with him at Ajax, he did well in Italy and played in a Champions League final. For me, it was a match made in heaven.
