Manchester United might well have been handed double blows on September 14 as the derby loss was combined with Andre Onana’s debut for Trabzonspor.
Andre Onana played against Ederson’s Fenerbahce in a game that was straight out of a fever dream for Man Utd fans who saw these two goalkeepers face off in the derby last season.
While Altay Bayindir had a nightmare for Man Utd against City in the 3-0 derby loss, Onana suffered a 1-0 loss to Fenerbahce on his debut.
However, despite the loss, the Turkish press was in awe of the player’s performance, with supreme adjectives like “star” and “fantastic” pouring in, along with a sly jab at Man Utd.
Andre Onana of Trabzonspor looks on
Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images
Andre Onana makes Trabzonspor debut
Onana was entrusted with a starting spot less than a week after joining his new club, and he was filling in big shoes, too.
Trabzonspor’s previous goalkeeper, Ugurcan Cakir, is Turkey’s No. 1, ahead of Altay Bayindir, so Onana needed to get off to a good start.
Furthermore, with Ederson in the opposite goal, the narrative was set, but Onana lived up to the challenge and then some.
He made a jittery start as his team conceded the opener, which was partly down to the Cameroonian, but his performance kept reaching new highs afterwards.
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After going down to 10 men, Onana’s team were under the cosh for the whole game, but the only reason why the game finished just 1-0 was down to Onana’s brilliance.
He had 52 touches of the ball and made eight saves, which, for an average goalkeeper, would have resulted in at least three goals conceded.
He even acted as a sweeper twice and stopped two crosses, something he rarely did at Old Trafford.
Onana was awarded the Man of the Match award along with an 8.7 rating for his exploits, as per Fotmob.
Turkish press rave about Onana
Despite his reduced status at United, there is no doubt that Onana’s signing is a major coup for Trabzonspor and the league as a whole.
Their desperation for him to do well was clear after the game because Onana lived up to the expectations.
Turkish outlet Milliyet called Onana “The Star”, saying he played a “fantastic” game, where his experience was “so evident”. They added that Onana has easily taken Cakir’s place in goal, and the team can rest easy knowing that their goal is secure.
Taka Gazete wrote, “Onana delivered a solid performance. He exuded confidence in goal, made several crucial saves throughout the match, and stood in the way of the widening gap.”
Fanatik had a sly jab at his time at Man Utd, saying Onana “didn’t look out of place” on his debut, and this performance alone was enough to make one forget about his “dark days” at United.
Onana will next be in action on September 20 for his home debut against Gaziantep FK. Trabzonspor don’t have a buy option or clause to make the deal permanent.