Onana’s Trabzonspor loan: United’s keeper carousel spins again

Manchester United’s goalkeeper carousel has spun once more, this time sending Andre Onana back to Trabzonspor for a second loan spell. The 30-year-old Cameroon international will spend the 2026-27 season in Turkey, a move that underscores the club’s ongoing inability to resolve its goalkeeping crisis through permanent solutions.

Onana’s second Turkish exile

Onana, who cost United £47.2m from Inter Milan in 2023, will rejoin Trabzonspor on a season-long loan with no obligation to buy. The Turkish club will cover his wages and pay a loan fee to United, with additional add-ons included in the arrangement. A statement from United confirmed the deal is subject to international clearance and registration, though the club wished him “the best of luck for the campaign ahead.”

This is Onana’s second stint at Trabzonspor after he was loaned out last August following United’s shock EFL Cup exit to League Two Grimsby. His only appearance for the first team that season came in that penalty shootout defeat at Blundell Park. Yet his time in Turkey proved productive: he made 29 appearances and helped the club lift the Turkish Cup for the first time since 2020.

United’s goalkeeping vacuum widens

The move leaves United with a depleted goalkeeper situation ahead of pre-season. Senne Lammens is Carrick’s first-choice custodian, while the future of Altay Bayindir—currently with Belgium’s squad at the World Cup—remains uncertain. Promising youngster Radek Vitek is pushing for a move, and veteran Tom Heaton remains in the mix, leaving Carrick with a thin and inexperienced group for the opening friendly against Wrexham in Helsinki on 17 July.

United’s inability to secure a long-term solution at goalkeeper has now stretched into a third season since David de Gea’s departure. The club’s pursuit of Crysencio Summerville on the right wing, reported by Mirror Football, suggests Carrick is prioritising outfield reinforcements over shoring up the defensive line. With no first-team additions completed so far this summer, the message is clear: United are still searching for stability in more ways than one.

Title races and transfer chaos

While United grapple with their goalkeeper merry-go-round, the wider Premier League landscape is no less volatile. Tottenham’s frenetic summer has seen them complete five signings, including a £85m deal for Mateus Fernandes, with Sandro Tonali set to follow in a £100m move from Newcastle. The contrast with United’s inaction is stark, particularly as Carrick’s side prepares for a campaign that could define his early tenure.

Elsewhere, Manchester City’s FA Cup triumph has exposed Newcastle’s title race fragility, while United’s own stadium ambitions continue to progress, with a key hurdle cleared in their bid to build a new 100,000-seat arena. Yet for all the structural progress, the immediate concern for Carrick is the lack of a settled goalkeeper situation—a problem Onana’s second loan to Trabzonspor does little to resolve.

Onana’s return to Turkey is a pragmatic stopgap, but it also highlights a deeper issue: United have yet to identify a long-term successor to de Gea, and their attempts to address the position have repeatedly fallen short. Whether through permanent transfers or loan deals, the club’s goalkeeper carousel shows no sign of slowing down.

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