Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana is on the brink of leaving Old Trafford, but his recent performance for Cameroon will have done little to lift his spirits. The shot-stopper was at fault in a crucial goal that saw Cape Verde triumph over Cameroon in a top-of-the-table World Cup qualifying clash on Tuesday.
Onana, who is set to join Turkish outfit Trabzonspor, failed to shine during the match. His blunder occurred in the 53rd minute when Cape Verde’s Rocha Livramento regained possession and charged through Cameroon’s defence, ending up one-on-one with Onana. The goalie chose to remain on his line, but made a second error by diving the wrong way, allowing Livramento’s shot to find the back of the net.
The result secured Cape Verde’s debut in a World Cup. Cameroon, however, now sit in second place and may face a play-off to secure their World Cup spot, despite having star players like Carlos Baleba and Bryan Mbeumo, Onana’s team-mate at Manchester United.
Onana’s transfer to Turkey is anticipated to be confirmed in the coming days, marking a break from his mistake-ridden stint in Manchester.
He was brought to United by Erik ten Hag two years ago and has largely been the first choice under Ruben Amorim, but his tenure has been marred by a series of high-profile errors.
The 29-year-old’s latest mishap occurred when he attempted to intercept a delivery into the box against Grimsby, only for the play to conclude with the ball in the back of United’s net.
Remarkably, by agreeing to join Trabzonspor, he has managed to double his salary and will head straight to Turkey from Africa.
United won’t be receiving a loan fee and there is no option for the Turkish club to permanently sign Onana once his contract expires, meaning he will return to Manchester where a decision on his future will have to be made.
The goalkeeper had previously impressed at Ajax and Inter Milan, but found the Premier League challenging.
Amorim had dismissed suggestions that he would be transferred during the summer, but Altay Bayindir has started the three league games so far, although Onana was injured in pre-season.
On deadline day, the club also finalised the signing of 23-year-old Belgian Senne Lammens for £18.3million.