The goalkeeper is leaving the Red Devils on loan for Trabzonspor after two error-strewn years, and he will not be remembered fondly
So it's farewell Andre Onana. Although the Cameroon international spent only two years at Manchester United before leaving on loan for Trabzonspor, fans actually got to know him pretty well. They spent much of that period cursing his propensity to let soft shots slip through his hands, his failure to find team-mates with his passing or him conceding goals directly from corners.
Onana signed for United from Inter in the summer of 2023 for £47 million ($63m) and was billed as one of the best goalkeepers in the world with the ball at his feet. His arrival was expected to unlock United's potential under Erik ten Hag – his former boss at Ajax – and bring more fluidity to the team's play. But all it brought was howler after howler while United never saw any benefits from his supposedly top-class distribution.
Signing Onana meant United humiliated a club legend in David de Gea by withdrawing their contract offer to him, and it was hardly worth it because just two years on their goalkeeping situation remains a giant mess. The promising yet inexperienced Senne Lammens was brought in on transfer deadline day after two costly gaffes from Altay Bayindir and Onana's woeful performance in the shock Carabao Cup exit by Grimsby to start the season.
As Onana heads to Turkey with huge doubts over his long-term future at Old Trafford, GOAL has ranked his most embarrassing errors in his two seasons in the team…
Getty16Lobbed against Lens (August 2023)
It might have only been a friendly, but this was a terrible way for Onana to introduce himself to Old Trafford, as he was lobbed from the centre-circle by Lens' Florian Sotoca before ending up tangled in the back of his own net.
Sotoca took advantage of Onana's high positioning and let fly after intercepting a loose pass from Diogo Dalot to put Lens in front, and though United turned the game around to win 3-1, it was a sign of what was to come from their new £47 million ($62m) signing.
AdvertisementGetty 15Botching Ziyech's free-kick (November 2023)
United had got off to a dream start against Galatasaray in their Champions League group-stage clash thanks to goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes, but sloppy goalkeeping by Onana from a free-kick reduced the deficit in the first half.
The Cameroonian did not set his wall up well and then reacted too slowly when Hakim Ziyech's strike went through it and into his net. And yet, it would not be his lowest moment of that evening in Istanbul ()
Getty 14Mix-up with Dorgu (February 2025)
Patrick Dorgu was the main culprit for handing Jaden Philogene a shock fourth-minute goal for Ipswich Town at Old Trafford during their Premier League meeting in February 2025, but Onana played his part in the omnishambles, rushing out of his goal while not shouting for the new signing to leave it.
It was a further sign that Onana is often not on the same page as his team-mates and struggles to command his area – but it was not even his worst moment in that game either…
Getty13Sane's shot slips through (September 2023)
Onana's performances in the 2022-23 Champions League campaign with Inter were a big reason why United were convinced to sign him, but the Red Devils' return to Europe's top table got off to a nightmare start when the goalkeeper allowed Leroy Sane's tame attempt from outside the box to slip under his body.
United had made a good start to the game at Bayern Munich, but the 'keeper's clanger put the Germans in front against the run of play and they charged to a 4-3 win. It was the first mistake of many for Onana in what turned into a rotten Champions League campaign.
