In an unexpected turn of events, Manchester United, one of the most celebrated football clubs in the world, is reportedly "pleading" for the return of David de Gea, their former star goalkeeper. This comes after the club made the decision to part ways with De Gea during the summer, ending his 12-year tenure with the Red Devils.
The Old Trafford side had offloaded De Gea and also sold backup keeper Dean Henderson to Crystal Palace. In a bid to fill the void left by De Gea, Manchester United signed Cameroon international Andre Onana for a whopping £48 million from Inter Milan. However, the club's decision to rely on Onana has led to unforeseen complications.
When Manchester United acquired Onana for the 2023-24 season, he had already retired from international football. This was due to a fallout with the head coach of the Cameroon national team during the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar the previous year. But in a surprising move last month, Onana announced his decision to come out of international retirement. He is set to re-join the Cameroon squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The timing of the AFCON, scheduled from January 13 to February 11, means that Onana could be unavailable for up to eight matches for Manchester United. This has raised alarms at Old Trafford, as the club could face a shortage of goalkeepers during this crucial period.
With Onana's potential absence, Manchester United's options are limited. They have Tom Heaton and Altay Bayindir, a recent acquisition from Turkish club Fenerbahce for £4.3 million. However, Bayindir, 25, is yet to make his debut for the club.
Given this scenario, the club is now considering bringing back De Gea, who is currently a free agent. The manner in which Manchester United parted ways with De Gea raised eyebrows. The club had initially offered him a new contract with reduced terms, cutting his wages from £375,000 a week to £200,000. However, in a surprising move, the club withdrew the proposed deal and asked De Gea to find another club until Onana's transfer was finalized. This was seen by many as a lack of respect for a player who had made 545 appearances for the club, breaking their all-time clean sheets record, and had recently won the Premier League's Golden Glove award.
Onana's performance so far has been a mixed bag. While he has made several costly errors leading to match losses, he has also showcased moments of brilliance, such as a crucial stoppage-time penalty save in Manchester United's 1-0 victory over Copenhagen in the Champions League.
As Manchester United prepares to face their arch-rivals Manchester City in the Premier League, they will be hoping for Onana to be at his best. However, the looming AFCON and the potential return of De Gea will undoubtedly be topics of discussion in the coming weeks.
