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Onana loan move shows how signing of the season prediction quickly unraveled

Originally posted on HITC | By Dan Coombs | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 6:25 AM ET

Manchester United were confident that Andre Onana would be a game-changer for them when he first arrived in 2023.

Andre Onana is set to spend the rest of the 2025/26 season on loan at Trabzonspor, having slipped down the pecking order at Manchester United.

Since Senne Lammens joined, Onana has found opportunities hard to come by. Ruben Amorim has also shown more faith in Altay Bayindir this season.

Onana wasn’t happy about how things ended, but his time at Manchester United was filled with mistakes that ultimately cost him his place.

Andre Onana was expected to succeed

Erik ten Hag chose Andre Onana to replace David de Gea in the summer of 2023 after the Spaniard’s release.

Ten Hag, having previously worked with Onana at Ajax, held high expectations for the Cameroon international, especially after his role in Inter Milan’s run to the Champions League Final.

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No one seemed more optimistic about Onana’s future than former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves.

Speaking to the Premier League website before the start of the 2023/24 season, Hargreaves named Onana as his pick for signing of the season.

Hargreaves said: “People will be blown away by the way he plays, how good he is with his feet. He’s a fantastic shot-stopper as well. He’s got great size, great presence.”

“He’s been very successful in the leagues that he’s played in and he’s going to become a leader.”

Onana struggled to find form

Andre Onana’s first season at Old Trafford started poorly, with his debut against Wolves almost seeing him give away a penalty.

That ‘presence’ wasn’t much help in the next game either, when he failed to deal with a one-on-one against Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi.

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While Onana was capable of making sharp saves, he also let in several soft goals that should have been stopped. The inconsistency in his shot-stopping quickly became a talking point.

His passing ability was supposed to be an asset, but neither Erik ten Hag nor Ruben Amorim found a way to make the most of it. Onana never really showcased this side of his game at United, leaving many fans questioning whether the hype had been justified.

Within just a few months, Onana had become one of the main reasons behind United’s Champions League exit. His reputation took another hit and any talk of him being ‘signing of the season’ quickly faded away.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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