Andre Onana was on the bench yet again in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw against Fulham in the Premier League
The season had already started on a painful note as Manchester United lost 1-0 to Arsenal. Ruben Amorim’s side tried to do a little better against Fulham in the second match, and Matheus Cunha created dangerous chances early on, with one shot hitting the post. Bruno Fernandes had a great chance to give United the lead in the first half, but he missed his penalty and the match ended in a draw.
In the second half, Leny Yoro’s header hit Rodrigo Muniz’s body and found its way into the goal, and United went ahead. However, Fulham held on for long, and Emile Smith Rowe finally scored from Alex Iwobi’s cross to equalise. Eventually, the points had to be shared at Craven Cottage, and United had to wait for victory again.
Goalkeeper’s position and Ruben Amorim’s decision
One of United’s biggest problems since last season has been the goalkeeper. Andre Onana kept making mistakes in the 2024/25 season, and the team lost many important points. Due to this, the club have been looking for a new goalkeeper throughout the summer and now there are reports that the deal to bring Senne Lammens is almost finalised. Meanwhile, Amorim had selected Altay Bayindir against Arsenal, but his mistake led to defeat. Despite this, Amorim kept faith in Bayindir against Fulham and kept Onana on the bench.
Andre Onana was on the bench yet again in Manchester United's 1-1 draw against Fulham in the Premier League.
Amorim backs Bayindir over Onana, says he picked “the best players to win the game.”
In a conversation with Sky Sports ahead of the game against Fulham, Amorim said directly that he looks at every match differently and selects the team accordingly. He indicated that he aims to select only those players with whom he feels the team can win. Here is what he said via Sky Sports (h/t Manchester Evening News).
“It’s the same kind of decision a manager has to make. I try to see the game, I try to imagine the next game. I try to put the best players to win the game. So I did that.”
Onana had recovered from injury and had also trained three times before the match, but still Amorim kept him away from the starting eleven. It seems that the Portuguese manager is currently reluctant to trust Onana and wants to give Bayindir a chance. This decision clearly shows that United are still entangled in the matter of a permanent goalkeeper, and the discussion about Lammens has intensified due to this.
Amorim’s decision is understandable. Bayindir made a mistake against Arsenal, yet giving him a chance again is a show of confidence. However, the question arises: Is it right to sideline an experienced player like Onana just based on his past mistakes? Amorim’s “game-by-game” choice sounds good in theory, but a team like United desperately need stability at the moment. Constantly changing goalkeepers can weaken the defence further.
Onana may have performed poorly last season, but he has experience in big matches. However, Amorim keeping him on the bench could be a sign that the manager no longer trusts the Cameroon international and wants to bet on new options. It is quite clear that Amorim is indirectly saying to the former Inter Milan goalkeeper to pack his bags, and there is no future left for him at Old Trafford, as we are in the last seven days of the summer transfer window.
It’s quite natural that the manager is looking forward to Lammens as the first-choice goalkeeper and Bayindir as his backup. The Cameroon international now has to decide what he has to do, as the Portuguese manager might not say it directly, but we all can understand what he is trying to indirectly mean about his stance on Onana. Meanwhile, in other news, Al-Ittihad remain keen on Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes.