Onana to start for Man United in crucial Europa League match days after being dropped

By Canadian Press on April 16, 2025.

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Andre Onana will start in goal for Manchester United for its crucial Europa League match against Lyon on Thursday after being left out of the team in the Premier League at the weekend.

Onana was dropped for the 4-1 loss to Newcastle on Sunday after making mistakes in the 2-2 draw against Lyon in the first leg of the quarterfinals last week. That came after the Cameroon international was described as “one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history” by Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic.

Back-up keeper Altay Bayindir replaced Onana against Newcastle, and also made a mistake for the home team’s fourth goal.

“As a coach and also a former player, I try to do things that can help a player in this situation,” United manager Ruben Amorim said at a news conference on Wednesday. “So sometimes we talk about managing players physically, but you also have to manage them mentally. Then they have to return to competition.

“And Onana is ready. He had one week when I felt like it was better for him to not play and a good thing for Altay to play. This week, my thinking is to put Onana to play.”

Amorim wouldn’t say if United would be looking for a new goalkeeper in the offseason.

United is seeking to win the Europa League to secure qualification for next season’s Champions League.

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The Associated Press