Manchester United clear way for Andre Onana to join Trabzonspor as club finalises goalkeeper plans
Club sources say Sir Jim Ratcliffe backed move after preseason injury and a Carabao Cup error; Foster tent design remains favored for proposed New Trafford
Andre Onana is set to join Turkish side Trabzonspor on loan for the remainder of the season after losing the Manchester United No. 1 goalkeeper role, the Daily Mail’s Man United Confidential column reported.
United accelerated the decision to move Onana on after a combination of a preseason hamstring injury, being displaced in the pecking order by Altay Bayindir and a costly mistake in the Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby, according to the report. The club has signed Senne Lammens from Antwerp for about £21.7 million and views the Belgian as its new first-choice goalkeeper.
Man United Confidential said head coach Amorim and director of football Jason Wilcox concluded that Onana’s early-season absence due to a hamstring tear and subsequent events made a loan the best outcome for all parties. The decision was reportedly supported by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in public comments earlier this year criticised the financial legacy of transfers United inherited and said the club needed to sort out players bought in previous windows.
Onana, 29, joined United from Inter Milan for about £55 million two years ago. The club believed interest from Monaco was affected by United’s reported £30 million valuation for the goalkeeper, according to the report, and the player was left surprised by the club’s approach after recovering from injury. United left Onana out of the opening Premier League game at Arsenal and then deployed Bayindir in subsequent matches before recalling Onana for the Carabao Cup tie at Grimsby. The error at Grimsby in the penalty shootout is reported to have been the final factor prompting the club to sign Lammens and arrange Onana’s exit.
Sources told the Mail that a loan to Trabzonspor was negotiated quickly because the Turkish and Saudi transfer windows remained open. The paperwork was expected to be completed before Friday’s deadline, and Onana was due to fly to Trabzon from Paris on Thursday. The deal reportedly includes a significant salary increase for Onana, who is understood to be doubling his wages during the loan. Carlos Kameni, the Cameroon goalkeeper coach and a friend of Onana, is reported to be in talks to join Trabzonspor as part of the move. Onana is expected to live with his brother in Turkey while renting out his house in Hale; his wife and three daughters will split time between Trabzon and a home in Boston.
The moves bring to a head a summer of change in United’s goalkeeping department. Lammens, signed five days after the Grimsby defeat, was bought to provide a long-term option. Bayindir started the first three Premier League matches this season before being displaced by the new signing.
Away from the goalkeeper story, United reiterated that designs revealed earlier this year for a potential new stadium at Old Trafford remain conceptual. The club said the illustrations produced by Foster + Partners were “illustrative concepts” intended to shape thinking and would be subject to fan consultation, feasibility work and a formal procurement process to appoint an architect.
Confidential reported that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a strong personal preference for the striking tent-like design produced by Foster + Partners and that Sir Norman Foster would be a leading candidate for the project, given the firm’s recent work on United’s Carrington training ground upgrade. The club faces longer-term challenges in securing government backing for the wider Old Trafford regeneration and in striking a deal to acquire land behind the stadium currently owned by Freightliner. Freightliner’s valuation has been reported at about £400 million, well above United’s estimate, and any compulsory purchase process would need to reflect market value and could take significant time. The proposed redevelopment includes a headline roof cost of about £300 million, raising questions about whether the overall £2 billion estimate and a 2030 completion target are realistic.
In squad news, Casemiro returned early from Brazil camp to rejoin training at Carrington ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby. The midfielder missed Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia after receiving a booking in the 3-0 win over Chile that triggered a one-game suspension. United gave Casemiro permission to leave Brazil and return to Manchester so he could prepare for the domestic fixture. Amorim has selected Casemiro ahead of Manuel Ugarte in league matches so far this season, with the coach noting an increase in United’s physicality and recovery speed in recent games.
United’s media operations have also been adjusted. MUTV will broadcast four academy matches in eight days, a step up from recent seasons when fewer youth fixtures were shown. The schedule includes Darren Fletcher’s Under-18s at home to Burnley and fixtures for Travis Binnion’s Under-21s in the National League Cup and subsequent league matches. The increased coverage comes as a number of promising young players, including JJ Gabriel and Kai Rooney, have drawn attention for their early-season performances.
The international break saw 12 United first-team players away on national duty. Several had limited minutes, while one positive for the club was Benjamin Sesko completing two full 90-minute matches for Slovenia despite earlier concerns about fatigue after his summer move. Other players such as Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Casemiro started for their nations and were substituted in the second half.
Gabriele Biancheri made his debut for Wales Under-21s in a match against Denmark and remains a player to watch at club level. Biancheri, who is eligible to represent both Wales and Canada, came on as a substitute in a match that ended 6-2 to Denmark. Wales manager Craig Bellamy has publicly acknowledged the striker’s resilience and potential while noting that Biancheri remains some way from the first team.
Collectors and club historians have also been active this week. A souvenir programme from United’s 1950 tour of Canada, featuring signatures from the National Soccer League side that faced United in Toronto, went up for auction with early bids reported to be in excess of £2,200. Separately, long-serving academy liaison officer Dave Bushell has published a memoir, Dreams Do Come True, recounting his decades working with youth players and families at the club.
Manchester United also announced the formal establishment of 16 new official supporters’ clubs, taking the number of countries with official representation to 93 and the total global count to 350. New additions include clubs in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and Trinidad & Tobago, the club said, highlighting the expansion of United’s international supporter network.
Taken together, the developments underline a busy period for United on multiple fronts: a reshuffle between the posts, ongoing discussions over a transformative stadium project, and renewed focus on academy coverage and international representation as the season unfolds.