André Onana will spend another season on loan at Trabzonspor, with Manchester United confirming that the goalkeeping experiment at Old Trafford has ended.
United signed Onana from Inter Milan in summer 2023 for £47.2 million as David de Gea's replacement. The move deteriorated quickly. Rather than become the settled number one, Onana fell out of favour and was loaned out. An agreement is close to being finalised between the two clubs for the extended stay, according to club sources.
The loan extension amounts to a final admission that the £47.2 million investment has not worked. According to United officials, Onana's hefty salary and outspoken personality would make it difficult to put him on the bench, where he would be a constant talking point. That fundamental obstacle makes any realistic return to first-team contention impossible.
Success in Turkey, no return in sight
Yet Onana's loan in Turkey has not been entirely fruitless. In May, he helped Trabzonspor win the Turkish Cup, defeating Konyaspor in the final. The trophy provided tangible evidence that he retains the capability to perform at competitive level, even outside the Premier League. That success was enough to persuade Trabzonspor to want him back.
The extended loan marks a quiet end to a once high-profile signing. There is no dramatic transfer elsewhere, no redemption arc at Old Trafford, no pathway forward. Onana will return to Turkey having demonstrated technical quality, but not in a manner that changes United's assessment. Manchester United finished 3rd in the Premier League and won four of their final five league matches, progression achieved entirely without Onana.
The club still faces an ongoing goalkeeper recruitment challenge. Reports suggest United is considering Leeds' Angus Gunn as backup cover despite Gunn making only one appearance for the Championship club. Leeds' Karl Darlow, 35, is also in negotiations to extend his contract. These fringe moves underline how comprehensively the Onana signing failed to solve the goalkeeping position.
For Onana, the extended loan provides continuity and distance from the Premier League scrutiny that has dogged him since 2023. For United, it is a pragmatic offload of an undeployable asset while preserving the theoretical possibility of a return, however unlikely that outcome now seems.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →