André Onana escapes the Manchester United spotlight – but for how long?

Having put more than 2,000 miles between himself and Old Trafford, André Onana might have hoped the unforgiving scrutiny that accompanied his dog days at Manchester United was behind him, at least for the time being.

Instead, the Cameroon international once again found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as he made his debut for Trabzonspor, the Turkish side he joined last week on a season-long loan.

Trabzonspor arrived in Istanbul to face Fenerbahce on Sunday unbeaten in their opening four Süper Lig fixtures, with just one goal conceded. They left with a 1-0 defeat and, arguably, the makings of an early question mark over their debutant goalkeeper.

Ironically, the architect of Onana’s misfortune was a former Manchester United man, the Brazil midfielder Fred, whose probing shot from the edge of the area the keeper could only parry into the path of Sebastian Szymański. The Polish winger lifted the ball over Onana to Youssef En-Nesyri, and the Morocco striker took one touch before prodding home the decisive goal.

‘A nightmare start’

It should be acknowledged that, but for Onana’s agile intervention, Fred’s initial effort would have nestled in the bottom left-hand corner. Equally, some questioned why he didn’t turn it around the post for a corner – among them the Manchester Evening News, who promptly declared it a “nightmare start” for Onana. 

The Turkish press offered a more balanced appraisal, hailing an otherwise solid performance in which the 29-year-old, thrust into the bearpit of a rivalry between two clubs with a history of mutual enmity, pulled off eight saves and impressed with his composure, distribution and leadership. Given that Fenerbahce were bolstered by the 20th-minute dismissal of Tranzonspor defender Okay Yokuslu, they had a point.

While Ederson enjoyed a largely untroubled debut at the opposite end following his £12m arrival at Fenerbahce from Manchester City, Onana found himself working overtime. The home side enjoyed almost three-quarters of possession, mustering a total of 29 shots, and in the circumstances Onana acquitted himself well.

‘He will be under a little less pressure than at Manchester United’

That will come as little surprise to Carlos Kameni, the former Cameroon international who now serves as a goalkeeping coach for the Indomitable Lions. Kameni, who made 71 appearances for Cameroon, has maintained from the outset that Onana made the right decision by moving to Turkey after losing his place at United to Altay Bayindir. 

“André was struggling at Manchester United,” Kameni told Africa Foot. “Last season, he was heavily criticised, and since the start of the season, he’s hardly played and everyone, including him, understood that he might spend a lot of time on the bench or in the stands. 

“He had the opportunity to be loaned to Trabzonspor, one of the four best Turkish clubs, which tries to compete every year with the big three of Istanbul: Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce.  

“He was right to accept… and I told him he was right. It’s a good choice. It’s better to be a starter at a very good club in a good league than a substitute at a big club in a big league, right? In Turkey, he will certainly be watched, because he’s a very good goalkeeper, but I think he will be under a little less pressure than at Manchester United.”

From Onana’s perspective, it is hard to argue with that assessment. In his absence, United were beaten 3-0 at Manchester City on Sunday, with speculation mounting about the future of Ruben Amorim. 

Among the myriad questions raised about the Portuguese manager’s approach was his decision to keep faith with Bayindir rather than hand a debut to Senne Lammens, the 23-year-old keeper acquired from Royal Antwerp earlier this month.

It is early days but, for now, Onana looks better off out of the maelstrom.