At the first press conference of the new season, coach Ruben Amorim excitedly shared about the big change at Carrington's training center.
After a summer of renovation worth 50 million pounds, Carrington now has a movie theater specializing in communication work. Impressed at first, Amorim smiled brightly and jokingly said: " better yet?". He then entered the press response section, looking forward to the big match against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
In front of the camera, Amorim spent nearly 20 minutes talking about the changes Man United have made since the end of last season. From the appearance of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to the decision to adjust the home match schedule. The "Red Devils" will gather in Carrington and move later to Old Trafford instead of waiting for hours at the stadium.
However, between sharing about Sesko, Arsenal or new preparations, Amorim still wants to send an important message. That is the expectation of a season of progress after the worst campaign in more than half a century. However, he also emphasized that "we can't change everything in 4 weeks".
That message was even more clear after the 0-1 defeat to Arsenal. The mistake of goalkeeper Altay Bayindir helped defender Riccardo Calafiori score the only goal, causing Amorim to face a series of questions about why Man United did not buy more goalkeepers.
The Portuguese captain was determined to defend Bayindir, affirming that he was still satisfied with the three goalkeepers including Onana, Heaton and Bayindir. But in mind, perhaps Amorim himself is repeating his familiar saying: "We can't change everything in a summer".
According to British media, the recruitment of a new goalkeeper has been discussed by M.U since January. However, in the context of scoring only 44 goals in the Premier League 2024-2025 season - the fifth worst record in the league - Amorim and the scouting department determined that the priority must be to rebuild the attack.
More than £200 million has been poured into Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko in the hope of creating a more attacking team. However, that means improvements in other lines, especially goalkeepers and central midfielders, are forced to be put on hold. CEO Omar Berrada has also had to stretch the budget to the limit.
This scenario is reminiscent of 2022, when Erik ten Hag first set foot in Old Trafford. At that time, he also soon realized that David De Gea was no longer a long-term solution, but due to the pressure to upgrade the squad, Ten Hag was forced to prioritize recruiting Lisandro MartInez, Casemiro, Antony and Tyrell Malacia. This time, Amorim is facing a similar problem - knowing the loophole, but not being able to touch it immediately.
"Red Devils" fans once hoped that De Gea would learn to play better football after a year of coaching. Finally, Ten Hag decided to cut off his relationship with the Spaniard and recruit Onana in the summer of 2023.
Onana has had 2 years of ups and downs at Old Trafford. He made some miraculous saves, especially Liam Delap's shot in Amorim's first game in charge. However, he also made many mistakes.
Two saves against Lyon in the Europa League in April saw Amorim decide to leave Cameroon out of the squad for the next Premier League match against Newcastle.
Amorim has every reason to urge the board to find a replacement for Onana. After 2 seasons in the Premier League, the Cameroonian goalkeeper made five direct mistakes leading to goals conceded - the fifth highest number of goalscorers in the same period. The 68.5% save percentage is also ranked 11th in the tournament, while the successful save rate per 90 minutes is only 12th.
Man United have tried to find a backup option. Aston Villa's loan deal with Emiliano Martinez was rejected after Onana suffered a hamstring injury in pre-season. The Red Devils also had initial connections with Espanyol's Joan Garcia before he chose Barcelona. And recently, they have eyes on Senne Lammens (Antwerp), but he is not considered the number one candidate.
However, according to an insider, any money from selling players - possibly Alejandro Garnacho or Rasmus Hojlund - will likely be reinvested in midfield rather than wood.
Onana, who was once valued at around £30 million, has not received much attention from European clubs, apart from Monaco's June poll.
Therefore, all signs suggest that Onana will stay and continue to be the number one goalkeeper for at least another year. The away trip to Fulham at Craven Cottage will be an opportunity for Onana to reaffirm his position, as well as for Man United to seek the first points.
Amorim has changed a lot to bury the memories of a disastrous season, but as a goalkeeper, the definitive solution may still have to wait a little longer.
