Was Ruben Amorim the problem? Andre Onana backed to ‘fight’ for Man Utd redemption & snub permanent transfer

Lammens leapfrogged Altay Bayinder in the pecking order shortly after his Manchester arrival on deadline day, which ultimately saw Onana depart for Trabzonspor earlier in the season. The 29-year-old has been a regular feature for the Turkish outfit since his move to Papara Park.

Even so, the Cameroon international is expected to return to United in the summer when his loan deal with Trabzon expires, and he'll hope Ruben Amorim's exit will provide him with a chance to reclaim the starting spot between the sticks at Old Trafford. Onana featured regularly for United following his arrival from Inter in 2023 before he was dropped by the Portuguese boss at the start of the season, with his sole appearance coming in the shock Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby back in August.

Michael Carrick will remain in charge of the Manchester powerhouse until the end of the season, and United are undecided on who their next manager will be. Onana, though, is expected to fight for his spot in goal at Old Trafford and snub any potential permanent exits, according to close friend and compatriot Geremi.

Speaking to Telecom Asia, the former Chelsea man said of Onana: "Listen, I know Andre very well and during his time at United there were a lot of things that were not right. It wasn’t just him. And believe me, with the arrival of Michael Carrick, things are looking good for everyone, including him.

"He is clearly talented and his gifts are rare. The next thing is for him to go back there and fight for his spot. Andre has always excelled when faced with a challenge. He thrives when he’s given a fair chance to prove himself."

Geremi continued that big clubs need big characters, adding: "In my career I enjoyed playing in teams with big ambitions and big personalities. If I had a few bad games, there was always someone knocking on the manager’s door asking for a chance.

"That meant I had to stand up, be counted and not walk away. But that is for Andre to decide."

However, Onana's hopes of ousting Lammens could be dashed if Carrick remains on as United boss. Carrick, who has overseen five wins and one draw from his six games in charge, spoke highly of the summer signing following Monday's 1-0 win at Everton.

"For me, as a goalkeeper, to be reliable, to be trustworthy. Instead of creating the chaos, you want them to take the chaos away and calm things down I think Senne is that," Carrick said after the narrow victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

"He’s quite quiet at times and unassuming, but he’s got a real steel in this. To step in, it’s a big, big role for some. And others are talking there about coping and just being comfortable in the environment. Sometimes it takes time, sometimes not. But how he’s gone about it at the moment is that calmness, that composure. I think it does help those in front of him an awful lot."

United's victory over the Toffees marked Lammens' fifth clean sheet of the season, a record he'll hope to add to when they face Crystal Palace on Sunday.

United are looking to boost their top-four hopes when they face Palace this weekend. Carrick's side currently sit three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool in fifth and sixth, respectively, as they look to secure Champions League football.

Liverpool can go level on 48 points with United with a win over West Ham on Saturday afternoon, while Chelsea make the short trip across the capital to face rivals Arsenal on Sunday evening.