Carlos Baleba has expressed his backing for Andre Onana following his transfer to Trabzonspor. The 29-year-old shot-stopper, who was signed by Manchester United from Inter Milan for a hefty £47million in July 2023, has now joined the Turkish side on a season-long loan. Onana was absent from the opening weekend of the new Premier League season due to a hamstring injury. His replacement, Altay Bayindir, faced heavy criticism for his performance during United's 1-0 loss to Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Despite a less-than-stellar display, head coach Ruben Amorim declined to give Onana another opportunity in the English top-flight. However, the Portuguese boss did select the Cameroonian for United's Carabao Cup second round clash against Grimsby Town. Onana didn't exactly shine as United suffered a 12-11 penalty shootout defeat at Blundell Park. With Amorim keen to bring in a fresh face between the sticks, United secured the signing of Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day for £18m.
After failing to generate much interest from Europe's elite leagues, United finally found a new home for the Cameroonian keeper this week. On the penultimate day of the Turkish transfer window, Trabzonspor clinched Onana's signature.
It is understood that the Super Lig giants have agreed to cover his wages in full. Onana will also enjoy a pay rise thanks to Turkey's 20 per cent tax rate on footballers.
Trabzonspor confirmed the shot-stopper's temporary switch on Thursday evening, flooding their social media channels with announcements. On Instagram, Trabzonspor wrote: "Another adventure, another challenge. Welcome to the biggest city team in the world, Andre Onana."
The Turkish side also persuaded Onana to participate in a viral social media trend, which has amassed over half a million likes. The Cameroonian switched his phone wallpaper from the United crest to the claret and blue emblem, with Bonde R300's track 'Oh Nanana' playing in the background.
Trabzonspor also shared images from Onana's photo shoot moments afterwards, drawing attention from his former colleagues. Rasmus Hojlund, who departed United on loan recently, Bryan Mbeumo and Joshua Zirkzee all 'liked' the upload.
Baleba also 'liked' the post, despite being strongly linked with a switch to Old Trafford during the summer window. It is believed that United made enquiries about the Brighton midfielder's availability, receiving a quote of approximately £100m for his services.
After investing £215m on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, Diego Leon and Lammens, the Reds found it difficult to justify such expenditure financially. It's also understood that United did not view bolstering their midfield as urgent, explaining the acquisition of three high-profile attackers.