Andre Onana in training.
Andre Onana is set to miss the pre-season tour of the United States.
Manchester United have not even played their first pre-season friendly of the summer and already they have been rocked by an injury setback.
According to a report by , goalkeeper Andre Onana has suffered a hamstring injury in training this week and could miss 'six to eight weeks' worth of action, ruling him out of the upcoming tour of the United States.
Furthermore, it means he is at risk of possibly missing the start of the new season. United face Arsenal in their season opener at Old Trafford on August 17.
, Onana reported back to Carrington for the start of pre-season training earlier this week under the impression he will remain head coach Ruben Amorim's first-choice goalkeeper this season.
has attracted interest from AS Monaco already this summer, but wants to stay at Old Trafford. It is understood he will only consider leaving if United want to sell him.
Amorim wants to recruit a goalkeeper this summer that can challenge and compete with Onana for the No.1 spot.
Despite making several high-profile errors last season, the Cameroonian often started by default amid doubts about suitability as United's second-choice goalkeeper. The Turkish international, who joined the club from Fenerbahce in September 2023, has made just 11 appearances for United, conceding 20 goals.
United made the decision to offer a new contract to veteran shot-stopper Tom Heaton last month, tying him down to a new one-year deal, meaning he is highly likely to remain third in the goalkeeping pecking order this season.
With that in mind, United are likely to target the addition of a new goalkeeper with a view to replacing Bayindir and taking second spot in the pecking order. The former Fenerbahce man is likely to be sold this summer.
Altay Bayindir has rarely been convincing when occupying the gloves. (Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
However, news of Onana's injury means Bayindir could be needed for a little while longer yet. He will expect to be a regular throughout pre-season.
On the flip side, United could use Onana's injury as an excuse to try and source a new second-choice goalkeeper as quickly as possible, with a view to getting him up to speed ahead of the start of the season and potentially starting the campaign in goal.
United are rightly prioritising attacking signings this summer and are still optimistic about making their next signing. Talks with Brentford are too far down the line for United to suddenly prioritise the addition of a goalkeeper over the Cameroonian.
But should the Reds make a breakthrough in their pursuit for Mbeumo sooner rather than later, their priority after getting him through the door may have to become the addition of a goalkeeper.
As already documented, United wanted to sign a shot-stopper this summer to challenge Onana, meaning news of his injury setback could see that particular objective become more important than first thought.
United are unlikely to want to go into the start of the season, should Onana fail to recover in time, with Bayindir between the posts amid the possibility of him getting injured and putting pay to any hopes they have of selling him before the end of the window.
Instead, it would be much wiser for United to try and source an upgrade on the Turkish international, as per their original plan, and attempt to embed a new shot-stopper in the team in pre-season with a view to the chosen candidate generating some healthy competition for Onana to become Amorim's No.1.