- Andre Onana made two key mistakes in the 2-2 draw with Lyon in midweek
- Altay Bayindir comes in for his first Premier League start since joining the club
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Chris Sutton and Ian Ladyman debate the manager of the season awards… who is the best and worst?
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has lifted the lid on why he took the decision to leave Andre Onana out of his squad to face Newcastle United on Sunday.
Onana’s performances have once again been under the microscope after a recent spell of poor form, which also sparked a war of words between him and Nemanja Matic.
Matic claimed that the Cameroonian goalkeeper was one of the worst shot-stoppers in Man United’s long history, ahead of his Lyon side’s Europa League quarter-final first leg draw with the Red Devils.
Worse still for Onana, that game saw him make two big errors that led to goals, with the French side drawing 2-2 with United.
Now for the clash with the Magpies, the United head coach has decided to drop him for Altay Bayindir, who makes his first Premier League appearance of the season.
‘Of course, you have to see the context,’ Amorim told Sky Sports of his decision.
Ruben Amorim has explained his decision to drop Andre Onana after an error-strewn week
Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw against Lyon after two mistakes from Onana
His second saw Lyon equalise in added time to cancel out United’s slender first leg lead
‘It is a normal thing. Sometimes, you have to push the player to play again, sometimes you have to let him disconnect a little bit.
‘Tomorrow, he will be in training to prepare for the next one [Lyon] so I felt that it was a good time for Andre to disconnect.
‘I think he was okay [about it] because I explained and then, you don’t need to like [it], but you understand because I explain every situation.
‘It’s a normal situation. You have to manage everything, sometimes people just look at the physical aspect but the mental aspect is really, really important.
‘It’s for just one game and we give Altay an opportunity, he deserves it also and then, again, tomorrow is a new life and we will prepare for the next one.’
Following the draw in France, Amorim had hinted that Onana might be left out of the following game.
Following Onana’s difficult night in Lyon, Amorim said: ‘We have to face Newcastle with a team that can be competitive to win the game.
‘Sometimes winning games is the best way of preparing for the next one. Of course, I am going to be careful with some players but again we need to be competitive.’
Onana’s form has earned criticism recently with Nemanja Matic making his opinion known
Man United’s Harry Amass is set to make the first start of his Premier League career today
Teenager Amass made his Premier League debut as a substitute against Leicester in March
Onana is one of a number of changes made to the United side to face Newcastle on Sunday evening.
Perhaps the most notable rotation, Mail Sport reported exclusively that 18-year-old full-back Harry Amass will start in defence in what would be his full Premier League debut.
Amass was handed his league debut off the bench in the 3-0 win at Leicester City last month but is now being rewarded with a start.
The teenager arrived at United from Watford in 2023 and has thrived with both the Under-18 and Under-21 teams.
While Erik ten Hag was in charge Amass was routinely training with the first team and made the bench for a number of first team games.
