According to The Athletic, some people close to Manchester United are surprised by goalkeeper Andre Onana’s decision to join Turkish side Trabzonspor.
They had thought that Onana would stay at United to regain his place in the starting line-up or stay until January, when he could have the chance to secure a move to another European club.
The Cameroonian has lost his place to Altay Bayindir since the start of the season, and the arrival of Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp has further complicated his future at United.
The Athletic claims manager Ruben Amorim had initially planned to stick with the 29-year-old as his first choice this term.
However, the hamstring injury he picked up at the start of pre-season and ‘an expectation he would remain No 1’ changed Amorim’s stance.
Onana arrived at Man United with a big reputation, helping Inter Milan reach the Champions League final and winning two domestic titles.
Manager Pep Guardiola even described him as an ‘exceptional goalkeeper’ after seeing how he helped Inter negate Manchester City’s press with his ball-playing ability in the 2022/23 Champions League final.
Nevertheless, he has been underwhelming since joining Man United, making several high-profile errors, and that has now cost him his place at the club.
Onana will seek to rebuild his reputation at Trabzonspor, where he is expected to become the first choice following Ugurcan Cakir’s move to rivals Galatasaray.
The Cameroon international could debut when the Black Sea Storm face Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super League on Sunday.
In his absence, Bayindir and Lammens will compete for a place in the starting line-up. However, the former is expected to get the nod for the Premier League clash against Manchester City on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.