Andre Onana is intent on staying at Manchester United next season despite his struggling form.
United head coach Ruben Amorim wants to sign a new goalkeeper in the summer but Onana considers United to be the only club he wishes to play for.
Onana, 28, has played 86 times for United and is under contract to the club until 2028 but his errors in recent months have brought his future into question.
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United are expected to recruit a new ‘keeper for Amorim’s first full campaign as Tom Heaton is likely to retire when his contract expires in June. Number two goalie and Turkey international Altay Bayindir’s future could lie elsewhere should he seek more playing time before the 2026 World Cup.
The Africa Cup of Nations is also staged in December and January in 2025-26, with an earlier start date of December 18 which could deprive United of Cameroon international Onana for their festive fixture schedule.
Onana has made three errors leading to goals in the Premier League - in the defeats to Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Brighton - and he was deemed culpable for both of Ipswich Town’s goals against United last week. Onana is 16th for save percentage out of 22 Premier League goalkeepers.
The former Ajax and Inter Milan goalkeeper made impressive stops from Fulham playmaker Emile Smith Rowe during the FA Cup fifth round loss but he also irked the crowd with his slow restarts at goal kicks.
United signed Onana from Inter Milan in a £47.2million deal in July 2023 to reunite him with his former Ajax coach Erik ten Hag. If the club wished to sell Onana, they would require a fee of £28.32million (the remaining cost of his fee spread over the remaining three years of his contract) to avoid a loss under the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules.
Another quirk is United have not outright sold a No.1 goalkeeper since Alex Stepney’s 12 years at the club came to an end in 1978. Onana recently switched to the Lian Sports Group agency but sources say that was a personal move and not made with the intention of seeking a transfer.
Amorim has publicly defended Onana and felt it was harsh to pin Jaden Philogene’s equaliser for Ipswich on the goalkeeper. “He did some great saves that saved our team and sometimes he has some problems but that is normal," Amorim said on Friday. "And if you look for our team you can find a lot of players with that issue.
"I think we are not performing so well as a team and sometimes players have a problem. People talk about the second goal from Ipswich, he is waiting for the touch of Delap. That is really clear. And then the ball continues to the goal. So that can happen.
"We just have to support Andre and forget about the past and prepare for the future."
