Andre Onana is expected to stay at Manchester United despite the club closing in on a £17m deal for Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Ruben Amorim has refused to say whether Onana will return in goal at Fulham on Sunday after playing Altay Bayindir in the opening-day defeat by Arsenal last weekend when he was criticised for letting in the only goal of the game from a corner.
Onana was left out of the squad altogether after missing the entire pre-season with a hamstring injury, and Amorim has been reluctant to confirm the Cameroon international is still his No 1.
‘Onana is ready to play like last week so we will see in the game who is going to be the goalkeeper,’ said the United boss. ‘Licha (Martinez) is out, Nous (Mazraoui) is out, the rest of the guys are fit.’
It’s understood that both United and Onana expect him to remain when the transfer window closes a week on Monday, even though Monaco were quoted £30million earlier this summer and he could yet be a target for his old club Inter Milan.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Lammens is viewed as a keeper for the long-term and is expected to compete with Onana, whose future has been in question after a series of erratic performances last season.
Andre Onana is expected to stay at Manchester United despite uncertainty over his future
A move for Senne Lammens cannot be ruled out, but his arrival would depend on departures
Rasmus Hojlund could make a return to Italy after watching the loss to Arsenal from the stands
Lammens, a 6ft 3in Belgium Under-21 international, made his debut for Bruges in July 2021 before moving to Antwerp two years later, making a first appearance for the club that November in a Champions League defeat to Porto.
United will need cover as Onana is likely to miss part of the season due to his involvement in Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign in December.
Meanwhile, United are still working on deals for striker Rasmus Hojlund and their remaining four ‘bomb squad’ members – Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia.
Hojlund, who was left out of the squad to face Arsenal after United signed Benjamin Sesko, could make a return to Italy with Napoli after being linked with AC Milan and Inter.
Asked how Hojlund has reacted to the situation, Amorim said: ‘Like a professional player. We need to see. Let’s wait until the market is closed and then everything is clear.’
Garnacho and Antony continue to be linked with moves to Chelsea and Real Betis, and Sancho has interest in Italy and Turkey.
Amorim has still not ruled out of the possibility of any of them still being at United after the window closes. ‘I know that is not a good thing to have players in this situation, but it’s clear they want to play in a different club,’ he added.
‘So we try to arrange everything for both parties to be happy. I have to try to imagine to have the training with the guys that I think are going to be the future, and the other guys are training and preparing for the next chapter.
‘When the window is closed, it’s a different history, when the window is closed, we have to receive the players and in a new life, anything can happen.’
