Andre Onana’s loan spell at Trabzonspor began in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. The Manchester United loanee was handed his Super Lig debut against Fenerbahce on Sunday, and his performance summed up everything about his turbulent career so far, with a costly error, flashes of brilliance, and a Man of the Match award in a 1-0 defeat.
A Fresh Start After Old Trafford Struggles
For Onana, this was supposed to be a reset. The 29-year-old Cameroon international endured a bruising two years at Old Trafford, making 102 appearances, conceding 150 goals and keeping just 24 clean sheets. Signed from Inter Milan in 2023 for £47m, he never fully convinced, with a string of high-profile mistakes overshadowing his undoubted shot-stopping ability.
His final outing for United came in August’s shocking Carabao Cup exit to League Two side Grimsby Town. By then, boss Ruben Amorim had seen enough, as Altay Bayindir was promoted to first choice, while Belgian youngster Senne Lammens arrived on deadline day to provide competition. This left Onana out of the running, and so he was shipped to Trabzonspor on loan.
It was billed as an escape from the Old Trafford spotlight, but he walked straight into another pressure cooker in Turkey.
In Türkiye, on the same day as the Manchester derby, Ederson and André Onana faced off in their Süper Lig debuts ⚔️
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 14, 2025
➖ Man City beat Man Utd
➖ Ederson's Fenerbahçe beat Onana's Trabzonspor pic.twitter.com/fpwgXU8tAm
A Costly Error
Trabzonspor manager Fatih Tekke wasted no time in throwing his new signing in, naming Onana in goal against title challengers Fenerbahce. His task grew harder when Okay Yokuslu was shown a straight red after just 20 minutes, leaving the visitors a man down.
After a disallowed goal added to the frustration for the visitors, the decisive moment arrived on the stroke of half-time. A speculative effort from ex-United midfielder Fred looked harmless, but Onana spilled the ball back into danger. Sebastian Szymanski reacted quickest, squaring for Youssef En-Nesyri to tap home.
It was a soft goal and one painfully reminiscent of the errors that dogged his United career. To make matters worse, it proved enough to settle the contest.
Heroics in Defeat
Yet the mistake didn’t define his entire performance. If anything, Onana responded with defiance, pulling off a string of excellent stops to keep Trabzonspor in the game despite relentless pressure.
He ended the night with eight saves from 29 shots faced, preventing 1.76 expected goals in the process. It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone why he was once rated among Europe’s elite keepers.
Despite the loss, his efforts earned him the Man of the Match award. For United fans, it was a familiar paradox — a goalkeeper capable of world-class brilliance one minute and maddening lapses the next.
Andre Onana was the highest rated player on the pitch after his Trabzonspor debut against Fenerbahçe ⭐️
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 15, 2025
The keeper faced 29 shots, made 8 saves (4 inside the box) and had 1.76 expected goals prevented 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ctf0SvwRvN
What Next for Onana?
This loan is about far more than just minutes on the pitch. A 50-cap Cameroon international, Onana has operated at the very highest level, but his reputation has taken repeated dents in recent years.
At Old Trafford, questions lingered over his true ability. In Trabzon, he now has the chance to rebuild his career in a passionate football culture, away from the Premier League glare but under the weight of expectation from one of Turkey’s biggest clubs.
Next weekend brings his home debut against Gaziantep, where supporters will hope to see more of the heroic shot-stopping and less of the costly mistakes.
For now, Onana remains an enigma. His debut showed that he can frustrate as much as he can inspire, and Trabzonspor fans may need to brace themselves for a season every bit as dramatic as his first outing.
