From Ajax Star to Old Trafford Liability: The Decline of Andre Onana

From Ajax Star to Old Trafford Liability: The Decline of Andre Onana

The end of the transfer window saw Andre Onana complete a loan move to Turkish side Trabzonspor, marking a premature end to his calamitous career at Old Trafford. Once upon a time, Onana was widely regarded as one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe, with the Cameroon international spending time at Barcelona and Ajax's youth academies before representing Ajax at the highest level.

André Onana (14) (free) - Samuel Eto'o Academy (Cameroon) to FC Barcelona (2010) pic.twitter.com/w7BRR0jKCg

— Transfersthathappened (@actualtransfers) July 15, 2025

Nowadays, Onana is viewed as a laughing stock in world football. Dropped balls, giving away penalties due to ludicrous fouls, conceding at the near post, Onana did it all at United. However, this was not the way his career was supposed to look at all.

Where did it all go wrong for him? Was there too much pressure placed on him? Was he simply overrated? Today we will be taking a look at Andre Onana's career path, looking at its trajectory and looking at where he is now.

Ajax - From UCL Thrills to Doping Scandals

After leaving Barcelona's youth setup in the 2014/15 season, Onana went on to join Ajax. The goalkeeper spent 3 seasons with Jong Ajax before being promoted to the first team in the 2016/17 season. Onana was an instant hit at Ajax, and at just 20 years old he was starting every game for the side.

His most notable season for Ajax came in the 2018/19 season which saw the Dutch giants reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, winning the league in the same season, Ajax were a fantastic young side coached by Erik Ten Hag. The side was brimming with quality with the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Hakim Ziyech and Donny van de Beek all playing starring roles in their Eredivisie and Champions League campaign. Andre Onana was also viewed as a huge prospect, praised for his shot stopping as well as his ability to use his feet.

Ajax, 2018/19. 🤩

Nostálgico! pic.twitter.com/CiQgxV0JbH

— Futebol Nostálgico! (@futnostalgico) October 23, 2024

Everything was going smoothly for the Cameroonian until October 2020, when Onana tested positive for a banned substance after taking an out-of-competition test. The substance detected in his body was Furosemide which is banned across world football. Subsequently, Onana served a 12-month ban from football. After claiming he mistakenly took his wife's medication, the ban was reduced to 9 months.

The 9 month ban was a huge blow for Ajax and Onana. More importantly, the time out on the side-lines stunted Onana's growth immensely. After serving his ban, Onana returned to play for Ajax. The side however was not the same. De Ligt had gone onto greener pastures, De Jong was now starring at Barcelona, and Onana didn't really fit into the direction the side wanted to go in. Thus, the summer of 2022 saw him complete a free transfer to Serie A giants Inter Milan.

André Onana (26) (free) - Ajax to Inter Milan (2022) pic.twitter.com/BK8i2MskSI

— Transfersthathappened (@actualtransfers) August 27, 2025

The Inter Milan Days

Onana joined Inter Milan for the 2022/23 season, spending one season with the club. For Onana, the stakes were high with the player seeking to make a comeback and return to the high level he displayed in the 2018/19 season. Despite early injury problems, Onana emerged as the first choice keeper for Inter Milan this season.

🚨📊 André Onana played 4 games against AC Milan with Inter and didn’t concede a single goal. pic.twitter.com/24SyxP6Nln

— Nerazzurri Society (@nerazzurriSoci_) January 31, 2025

Inter Milan won the Coppa Italia as well as the Supercoppa Italia this season. Onana was a key part in both trophies, yet Inter Milan's most impressive feat of the season was reaching the UEFA Champions League Final. On their route to the final, Inter Milan defeated Porto, Benfica and rivals AC Milan to reach the final where they would play treble-chasing Manchester City.

This was the first time Inter Milan had reached the Champions League final since 2010, in which they won the competition under Jose Mourinho. Unfortunately, Inter went on to lose the final 1-0 against Man City.

Despite the loss, Andre Onana was once again regarded as one of Europe's best keepers. The player kept 19 clean sheets for Inter Milan and only conceded 36 goals all season. This led to him becoming a hot name on the lists of many top European clubs in the summer of 2023. Thus, Manchester United completed the signing of Andre Onana for £43.8 million.

🚨 Man Utd set to agree personal terms with Inter Milan GK Andre Onana today + transfer fee very close to being finalising. 27yo expected to sign 5yr deal & hope is he flies with #MUFC squad to NYC on Weds for tour. By @lauriewhitwell @TheAthleticFC #Inter https://t.co/8gKbJsfeO8

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 16, 2023

Manchester United Career

The summer of 2023 was a time of change for Manchester United. After spending a decade between the sticks, newly appointed manager Erik Ten Hag oversaw the departure of David de Gea in order to be reunited with Andre Onana. Ten Hag's style of play required a goalkeeper that was comfortable with his feet, able to quickly and calmly distribute the ball, and demonstrate solidity when building out from the back.

On paper, the move appeared perfect for Onana. Reuniting with his former manager in Erik Ten Hag, playing alongside his former Ajax teammates Matthijs De Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and Antony. Man United were sure to make a comeback in English football. Onana was sure to be the man to make Ten Hag's dream work, right? Wrong.

🇳🇱 Erik ten Hag's signings from Ajax since taking over at Man United:

🇦🇷 Lisandro Martinez
🇧🇷 Antony
🇨🇲 Andre Onana

Reunited 🤝 pic.twitter.com/QRWyqWuiQI

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) July 20, 2023

Andre Onana's first pre-season for the Red Devils was a sign of things to come. His first game in net came against Borussia Dortmund, and this saw the goalkeeper enraged with central defender Harry Maguire after receiving a sloppy pass which led to a Dortmund goal. Already, things were starting to unravel.

Onana's first Premier League game was against Wolves, and the player was lucky not to be sent off after he crashed into Sasa Kalajdzic in the box, making no contact with the ball whatsoever. Man United were shipping goal after goal in the early stages of the 2023/24 season, and Onana was hugely criticised.

So his start to life in Manchester hasn't gone swimmingly, but he's a world class goalkeeper, one of the best in Europe, he can pick things up right? Wrong.

One of Onana's most crucial mistakes in goal for Manchester United came in the Champions League against Galatasaray. After Man United restored their two-goal lead through Scott McTominay, Galatasaray won a free kick from miles wide. Hakim Ziyech lined up to take the free-kick which was not expected to cause too much trouble, if any at all. The shot was lacklustre yet found its way towards the goal. Reacting quickly, Onana attempted to parry the ball away from the danger, yet hilariously he somehow managed to push the ball into the back of his own net. Following on from this, Onana failed to cover his near post and conceded another soft goal.

This culminated in a 3-3 draw against Galatasaray, placing Man United's Champions League group qualification out of their hands. The side then crashed out of the group stage after losing to Bayern Munich, finishing bottom with a host of fingers pointing to the Cameroonian goalkeeper.

🗣️ Paul Scholes: “All 3 Galatasaray goals are down to him [Andre Onana]” pic.twitter.com/FTCWfVrQGQ

— Stretford Paddock (@StretfordPaddck) November 29, 2023

The woes in the goalkeeping department continued for Andre Onana and Manchester United, and despite winning the FA Cup, things were not working for Andre Onana and Manchester United. Erik Ten Hag was sacked in November of the 2024/25 season and replaced by Ruben Amorim. With Onana between the sticks, Manchester United went on to earn their worst ever finish in the league in the Premier League era, placing 15th.

Andre Onana with Manchester United;

• 102 appearances 🥅
• 24 clean sheets ❌
• 150 goals conceded ⚽️
• 18 errors leading to a goal pic.twitter.com/KoyNlaxP7G

— ⋆ (@UTDMaI) September 9, 2025

Statistically, Onana made 102 appearances for United, keeping only 24 clean sheets. Furthemore, Onana recorded the second lowest save percentage ever for Man United at 70.1%, with the lowest coming for reserve keeper Anders Lindegaard who played for the Red Devils from 2011-2014.

Where are we now? The Aftermath

🚨 Manchester United have no interest in ever seeing André Onana line up for them again once he returns from his loan spell at Trabzonspor.

Source: Football Insider) pic.twitter.com/kiPTA67lNd

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) September 11, 2025

With Onana's time at Man United coming to a halt, the club will be looking to move him on permanently next summer. This may be difficult however, with many regarding him as the worst goalkeeper of the Premier League era. His poor attitude accompanied by his lacklustre statistics make him a very complicated character to have in the dressing room. With the Cameroonian now looking to restart his career in Turkey, both Onana and Manchester United will be looking to find a permanent solution next summer.