The Turkish press all responded in the same way to Andre Onana’s debut against Fenerbahce, and why the unanimous noise is actually good news for Manchester United has been revealed.
The arrival of Senne Lammens prompted Man Utd to turf Andre Onana out to Trabzonspor. United didn’t want a high profile and expensive distraction warming the bench and casting a shadow over new boy Lammens, who is expected to assume the starting spot sooner rather than later.
Members of Man Utd’s squad are also understood to be relieved Onana has left. The idea of possessing four senior goalkeepers on the books (Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton too) in a season in which Man Utd have already exited the League Cup and don’t play in Europe was termed a ‘nonsense.’
Onana is pocketing roughly double what he would have earned if staying put in Manchester through the aid of a sign-on fee and lucrative bonuses.
And at roughly the same time on Sunday as Bayindir was shipping three goals to Manchester City, Onana was earning rave reviews while making his debut against Fenerbahce.
Trabzonspor would lose 1-0, though that only tells a small fraction of the story. Trabzonspor were reduced to 10 men when Okay Yokuslu saw red in the 20th minute and what was always going to be a busy evening for Onana got busier.
The loanee made eight saves, produced a goals prevented statistic of 1.76, and was statistically the player of the match according to FotMob with an impressive 8.65 rating.
As such, the verdict from the Turkish media was unanimous, with Fanatik stating: ‘It’s worth noting that Onana didn’t look out of place compared to his debut.
‘After Okay was sent off and Trabzonspor were reduced to 10 men, Onana kept his team in the match with his saves. He cleared the ball off the post for En Nesyri’s goal and fought back as far as he could on his return.
‘His performance was enough to make one forget his dark days at United.’
TakaGazete wrote Onana ‘inspired confidence’ and earned ‘full marks’ for his showing.
The report added: ‘Trabzonspor’s star player, Andre Onana, made his debut for the Claret-Blues against Fenerbahce. With expectations high following the transfer of Ugurcan Cakır, Onana delivered a solid performance.
‘The 29-year-old, who exuded confidence in goal, made several crucial saves throughout the match. Onana, one of his team’s remaining players, stood in the way of the widening gap.
‘Onana, who stood out in every statistical analysis, managed to be the star of the match despite conceding a goal. Even in the scoring opportunity, Onana made two crucial saves but couldn’t prevent the goal.’
Milliyet added to the glowing praise, saying: ‘The star of the match was definitely Onana. He played a fantastic game. His experience is so evident.’
They concluded: ‘Those worried about Ugurcan’s departure (Trabzonspor’s previous goalkeeper) can rest assured. Even if the new signing is a loan, the Black Sea team’s goal seems secure.’
Why rave reviews are good for Man Utd
On first glance, the thought of a player Man Utd loaned out now excelling might leave United fans shaking their heads.
However, after two-plus years of error-strewn displays, it was crystal clear for all to see Onana could not handle playing for Man Utd or in the Premier League.
One and potentially a few more stand-out performances in Turkey will not erase the overwhelmingly disappointing work from Onana following his arrival from Ajax in 2023.
Furthermore, Onana rehabilitating his reputation at Trabzonspor actually plays perfectly into Man Utd’s plans.
TEAMtalk has been told there’s no way back for Onana at Old Trafford, just as there wasn’t for Jadon Sancho and Antony after their respective loan spells.
Instead, Man Utd want to sell Onana in a permanent deal next summer. The better he performs in Turkey, the more interest the player will generate. The more interest the player generates, the higher the fee Man Utd can command.
As far as Man Utd are concerned, Onana winning the man of the match award every single game would be a dream outcome.
Latest Man Utd news
🔴⚫ Man Utd could CANCEL gigantic transfer if Ruben Amorim is sacked
🔴⚫Ruben Amorim accepts blame for Man Utd derby defeat; Bruno Fernandes reacts
🔴⚫Man Utd quoted gargantuan fee as £260m trio eyed by Ruben Amorim – multiple sources