Manchester United have reportedly identified why Andre Onana struggled at the club, as his exit looms closer.
End of the road
Onana is expected to leave United in the upcoming window following his difficulties since joining the side from Inter Milan in the summer of 2023.
He arrived to much fanfare and expectation after a positive stint in Italy, where he earned rave reviews for his performances, especially on the ball.
He found it difficult to replicate his best form at United, delivering several displays that came at a heavy cost to his team, especially in the Champions League. Those mistakes then bled into the Premier League, leaving him with no clear path back.
At one point, he almost became a symbol of ridicule. United loaned him out to Trabzonspor last summer. He spent the 2025/26 campaign with the Turkish Super Lig outfit, who have made it clear they wish to keep him.
Onana is widely believed to be keen on a chance to fight for his place at United but Senne Lammens stands out as the undisputed starter after a dream maiden campaign in England. The best outcome seems to be a separation of ways.
Now, Samuel Luckhurst of The Sun claims that United believe a change in the goalkeeping coach is largely to blame for Onana’s struggles at Old Trafford.
Root cause
Luckhurst writes, “Onana, 30, had such a good rapport with Jelle ten Rouwelaar that staff noticed a sudden drop-off almost as soon as Ruben Amorim took over in November 2024.”
When Ruben Amorim came in for Ten Hag in the United dugout, he replaced Ten Rouwelaar with Jorge Vital, whom he worked with at Sporting CP. Ten Rouwelaar had only been at United for four months before his exit.
The Dutch goalkeeping coach arrived at United after Richard Hartis left.
Luckhurst adds, “Ten Rouwelaar was praised by United’s goalkeeping union for his innovative methods and he quickly struck up a warm rapport with Onana at United’s pre-season tour base in Los Angeles.”
“Onana also had a tight relationship with his former Ajax manager Ten Hag, whereas he found Amorim to be more distant and closer to fellow Portuguese Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot.”
United forked out £47.2m to secure Onana’s services from Milan. They are unlikely to get anything close to that if he leaves.
Featured image Clive Rose via Getty Images
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