Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Andre Onana was fit enough to face Arsenal in their Premier League opener but opted not to include him. The £47million goalkeeper was notably absent from United's matchday squad for the clash with Mikel Arteta's Gunners at Old Trafford, with Altay Bayindir given the starting position and veteran keeper Tom Heaton named as a substitute.
Onana, 29, had been sidelined with a hamstring injury since early July, missing all of United's pre-season matches. Despite this, both the player and the club were hopeful he would be ready to start the season between the sticks for Amorim's side.
However, Onana's recovery hasn't gone entirely smoothly, having only trained a few times since being cleared to return and spending the early part of Sunday working alone at United's Carrington training ground.
Despite this, Amorim was adamant before the match that it was his decision to omit the former Inter Milan stopper, insisting that his injury wasn't a factor and that Onana is fully fit. He stated: "We try to choose the best players for each game, so next week is a different life.
"This week, we chose these players. No (he is not injured), he's recovered but the other guys did so well during pre-season, so I need to balance that."
Onana's future at Old Trafford has been the subject of speculation this summer, following two seasons that haven't quite lived up to expectations, coinciding with United's worst two campaigns of the Premier League era.
Before kick-off, Onana was spotted in the tunnel with Rasmus Hojlund - who looks increasingly set to depart before the transfer window shuts - sharing a laugh as they observed their team-mates warming up.
Benjamin Sesko, the fresh £74million acquisition from RB Leipzig, found himself amongst the substitutes, with Amorim choosing to deploy another newcomer, Matheus Cunha, as his furthest forward player.
"Ben [Sesko] had a very good week but he is just one week here," said Amorim. "It was four or five days he was not training. A lot of emotion, training countries, culture, signing a new contract and new people. The first impression is important so let the guy settle down. He is ready to help us in the game."