Andre Onana is set to fly to Turkey on Thursday and complete his loan move to Trabzonspor as the reasons behind his swift exit from Manchester United emerge.
Confidential understands that minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe supported the decision to ditch Onana as United’s No.1 goalkeeper, a move which has taken the Cameroon international by surprise.
Onana will move to Turkey for the rest of the season after he lost his place to Altay Bayindir and United signed Senne Lammens from Antwerp for £21.7million to be their new first-choice keeper.
Amorim is understood to be unhappy that Onana suffered a hamstring tear on his second day of pre-season after returning from Cameroon where a video emerged of him playing outfield on a muddy makeshift pitch with friends.
The United boss, who was also wary of Onana’s omission becoming a distraction for Lammens as the Belgian settles in, reached the decision to move him on with director of football Jason Wilcox.
It was supported by Ratcliffe who made his thoughts on Onana clear in March when he spoke publicly about the players who were still costing United money in instalment payments owing to their old clubs following his investment in United.
Andre Onana is set to join Trabzonspor on loan, just two years after Manchester United agreed a £55m deal to sign him from Inter Milan
Onana’s error at Grimsby in the humiliating defeat to the League Two side was the final straw
Altay Bayindir played all three Premier League games ahead of Onana this season
‘If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn’t buy, we’re buying Antony, we’re buying Casemiro, we’re buying Onana, we’re buying Hojlund, we’re buying Sancho,’ said Ratcliffe. ‘These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out.
‘Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid, but for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time.’
It’s understood that Onana expected to stay at Old Trafford after Monaco were put off by United’s £30m valuation of him this summer.
But the 29-year-old became worried when he was left out of the opening game against Arsenal despite recovering from the hamstring injury, and those concerns only grew when Bayindir started the second game at Fulham as well.
Onana was recalled for the Carabao Cup tie at Grimsby, but an error in United’s embarrassing defeat on penalties proved to be the final straw. Lammens was signed five days later and United informed Onana that it would be better for him to find a new club.
His options were limited because Turkey and Saudi Arabia were among the few countries where the transfer window remained open, but a loan to Trabzonspor was negotiated quickly.
The Turkish club will sign the final paperwork before Friday’s deadline after Onana arrives in Trabzon on a flight from Paris on Thursday and undergoes a medical. The former Ajax and Inter Milan keeper, who will double his salary under the terms of the loan, is set to make his debut against Fenerbahce on Sunday.
Onana was hoping to travel with Cameroon goalkeeper coach Carlos Kameni and work with his friend at Trabzonspor, but it transpired on Tuesday night that Kameni doesn’t have the necessary coaching licence and that element of the deal is off.
It’s understood that Onana will live with his brother Christian in Turkey and rent out his luxury house in Hale. The player’s wife Melanie and their three daughters will split their time between Trabzon and the new family home in Boston.
Old Trafford tent here to stay?
Although United maintain that plans for a futuristic new stadium are ‘conceptual’ and the contract to rebuild Old Trafford will be put out to tender, Confidential understands Sir Jim Ratcliffe has his heart set on the tent design and it would be a big surprise if his old friend Sir Norman Foster isn’t handed the £2billion project.
Answering questions from supporters at the most recent fans’ forum in June, United stressed that the plans revealed by Foster + Partners in London in March are not the finished article.
‘Illustrative concepts were produced to help shape thinking and demonstrate the transformative potential of a new stadium,’ said the club. ‘These concepts serve as a starting point for the next phase of work – which will include more detailed feasibility studies, fan consultation, and designer development.
‘A formal process to appoint a stadium architect is underway and, as with all club appointments, will be made following appropriate due diligence and in line with governance policies.’
The striking tent that appeared in the artists’ impressions of ‘New Trafford’ is set to stay
The designs also showed what it would be like for fans underneath the tent, with a giant concourse for fans to congregate in
While there is no suggestion the tender will not be fair, it’s understood that delivering the £50m upgrade of the Carrington training ground on time and on budget has put Fosters in a strong position to land the Old Trafford job as well.
Meanwhile, Ratcliffe is a big fan of the bold designs drawn up by Fosters’ team of architects, so the final version is unlikely to differ too much.
The more immediate problem for United is securing Government funding for the wider regeneration of Old Trafford and striking a deal with Freightliner to acquire the land behind the stadium for the newbuild.
Although the freight company are happy to relocate to Parkside, they are believed to value the land at £400m – 10 times United’s valuation.
The setting up of a mayoral development corporation to oversee the masterplan means United could force the sale through a compulsory purchase order, but that could take a significant amount of time and the price would still have to reflect the land’s market value.
United need the extra land to extend the footprint of Old Trafford, which will be covered by a huge roof costing £300m alone. It has raised doubts over whether the £2bn estimate and 2030 completion date are realistic.
Casemiro’s early return
Casemiro is back training at Carrington ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad after he was suspended for Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia.
The United midfielder’s booking in a 3-0 win over Chile on Friday meant that he was ruled out of Brazil’s game in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Casemiro was booked in Brazil’s 3-0 win over Chile on Friday night, earning him a one-game suspension for the qualifier in Bolivia
Rather than spend any more time in South America, Casemiro was given permission to leave camp and return to Manchester in preparation to face City. Brazil have already qualified for the World Cup next summer, and have the likes of Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes and Chelsea’s Andrey Santos in the squad who can play at the base of midfield in the United man’s absence.
The 33-year-old is enjoying a new lease of life under Amorim after it looked as thought he might struggle to be a regular starter.
Casemiro has been picked ahead of Manuel Ugarte for all three Premier League games as a defensive counterweight to Bruno Fernandes, and earned praise of sorts from Amorim when he was asked after the first two games of the season against Arsenal and Fulham if United are a more physical team now.
‘You can see that is a fact because you can see with the data,’ replied United’s head coach. ‘Then with confidence, sometimes you react a little bit sooner and you are near the ball.
‘Against Arsenal, you can see the reaction of our players in the second ball, the duels. We are stronger, we are recovering position faster. I remember at least two times in the corner, one time with (Martin) Odegaard running with the ball and you can look at our players and we are sprinting full power – even Casemiro! He’s at a different pace.’
MUTV step up their game
A bugbear for those keen to follow the academy teams has been the dilution of coverage across MUTV in recent seasons.
Fewer and fewer matches have been broadcast on the club’s channel, and with a cutback on resources that aren’t centred around the first team, it has irked fans who follow the club’s up and coming young stars.
But it is a good sign to see four academy matches in the span of eight days from Saturday being broadcast live on MUTV.
Fans of United’s academy will finally be able to watch more of the club’s rising stars, such as Under 18s striker JJ Gabriel
Kai Rooney has also been starring for Darren Fletcher’s Under 18s this season
Darren Fletcher’s Under 18s will look to continue their 100 per cent start to the season at home to Burnley on September 13, before Travis Binnion’s Under 21s face Brackley Town in the National League Cup on September 16, while the Under 18s’ trip to Wolves on September 20 and the Under 21s’ game at Liverpool the next day will also be broadcast.
With so much excitement around the coaching development of Fletcher and players such as JJ Gabriel and Kai Rooney emerging, more and more fans are crying out for ways to watch. It’s early days this season but MUTV seems to be stepping its game up after so much noise.
Stars get an international break
United have had 12 first-team players away on international duty since the dramatic 3-2 win over Burnley. No doubt to the delight of head coach Amorim, it’s still been a break of sorts for most of them.
Take Matthjis de Ligt. He has played 90 minutes in each of three Premier League matches so far. But he while away with the Netherlands, he was unused on the bench in a 1-1 draw against Poland before coming on in the 89th minute of a 3-2 win in Lithuania.
Altay Bayindir, another to play every minute of the three league matches thus far, was an unused substitute in both of Turkey’s matches, while Manuel Ugarte got just 21 minutes in Uruguay’s 3-0 win over Peru. Patrick Dorgu played no part in Denmark’s 0-0 draw with Scotland, before getting just 26 minutes in the 3-0 win over Greece.
There have been starts for Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon) and Casemiro (Brazil), all of whom were substituted in the second half of their matches.
But conversely, perhaps most pleasing of all for Amorim will have been seeing £74m summer signing Benjamin Sesko navigate back-to-back 90 minutes for Slovenia. Sesko headed out on international duty having suffered cramp and fatigue since arriving at United. Seeing him play two full matches in quick succession is a sign of his improving conditioning upon his return to Carrington.
There are still games to come but in more ways than one this has been a positive international break.
Benjamin Sesko made it through two full 90s for Slovenia, despite concerns over fatigue
Amad Diallo was one of very few United players to earn a start for their country this international break, earning his seventh cap for the Ivory Coast in a 1-0 win over Burundi
Big season for Biancheri
Gabriele Biancheri making his debut for Wales Under 21s against Denmark was a welcome sight indeed.
Wales find themselves locked in a battle with Canada to secure Biancheri’s commitment given he qualifies for both nations. Earlier this year Biancheri was invited to spend some time with the Canadian men’s senior team and that was an experience he thoroughly enjoyed.
Biancheri came on with Wales losing 3-2 and found service to be at a premium. Denmark put the afterburners on, with United striker Chido Obi an unused sub, as they ran out 6-2 winners.
Biancheri, who will celebrate his 19th birthday next week, needs to move forward this season on multiple fronts. He was open to leaving United on loan this summer but it was determined that his development is better served in-house. He finds himself behind Obi in the pecking order with United’s Under 21s, not to mention the first team.
It’s a big season for Gabriele Biancheri as he looks to vault up the pecking order at United and resolve his international future
He is on the radar of Wales boss Craig Bellamy but still a long way from a senior call-up. Many of those working with him are acutely aware of what a crucial season this is for him.
‘I see him a long way from being in our first team. A long, long way,’ Bellamy said when asked about Biancheri. ‘But what I like about him is that when you write him off, he finds a way.
‘He’s not quick, and can’t run away from anyone, but he still finds a way. I know he is always going to do something, although I don’t know when. If someone writes him of, he’ll find a way to come back – the kid never goes away. I really respect that.’
Piece of history up for grabs
One for the history buffs among United fans. An ‘extremely rare’ match programme from the club’s tour of Canada back in 1950 has hit the market and is already causing quite the scramble.
The lot, which has already earned bids of £2,200, is of the souvenir programme from United’s match against the National Soccer League (NSL) on May 10, 1950, in Toronto, Canada.
The team page carries the full set of signatures from the NSL side, making this a standout survivor from United’s early post-war tours.
It is one of a dozen-plus pieces up for auction on behalf of the family of Jack Rowley, a key figure at United in the post-war years under Sir Matt Busby who was affectionately known by supporters as ‘Gunner’ because of his lethal left foot.
Jack Rowley with his family in 1949. He scored 211 goals for United in 424 appearances from 1937 to 1954
Only three men have scored more than Rowley’s 211 goals for the club – Denis Law (237), Sir Bobby Charlton (249) and Wayne Rooney (253). He won the First Division in 1952, the FA Cup in 1948, scored six times in six England caps and later managed Plymouth and Oldham to promotion, which earned him the top job at Ajax in 1963.
More details on the auction are available here.
Bushell’s new book
Popular academy liaison officer Dave Bushell has published a book on his life in football, including three decades working at United with a long line of young players from Darren Fletcher to Kobbie Mainoo.
Dreams Do Come True, written with Roy Cavanagh MBE, follows Bushell’s childhood growing up as Bolton Wanderers fan to his time at United where he has held a number of different roles in the youth setup.
The former teacher and England Schoolboys manager has been responsible for educating several generations of players on what it means to play for United, as well as liaising with their families and schools to oversee their development off the pitch.
Bushell, who was described by United’s former academy director Nick Cox as ‘a custodian of the culture’, received an award from Sir Alex Ferguson in 2023 in recognition of his contribution to youth development.
Dave Bushell (middle row, fourth from left) with the Under 18s in 2014 – can you spot future first teamers Scott McTominay, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Dean Henderson, Axel Tuanzebe and Marcus Rashford?
Fans think the world of United
Supporters’ clubs have recently popped up in Uzbekistan and Trinidad & Tobago, taking the total following United worldwide to a record 350.
The Samarkand Reds, based in the ancient Uzbek city, are United’s first official supporters’ club in the country, while the Trinidadian club is their first in the Caribbean.
There are 16 new clubs, including Bangalore in India as well as a number in the US, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden, meaning United fans are now represented across 93 countries.
‘It reflects the global support this club has and is something we are very proud of,’ said Rick McGagh, United’s director of fan engagement. ‘If you don’t have a local club, please get in touch and we can help you set one up.’
Chad Phillip, chair of Trinidad & Tobago supporters’ club, greeted the news by saying: ‘It’s such a great honour to be part of the greatest fanbase in the world. Manchester United is like Soca/Reggae music, it brings diverse people together.’
Baxodur Salimov, chair of Samarkand Reds supporters’ club, added: ‘To become Manchester United’s first official supporters’ club in Uzbekistan is a privilege. Our motto is “one life, one team” so we’re proud to bring United to a new country.’
