Man Utd boss Amorim hits back at journalist over Onana future after confirming he will start vs Lyon

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim has hit back at a journalist for accusing him of avoiding a question about Andre Onana’s future at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have been terrible this season with Amorim’s side set to go down as the worst Man Utd side in Premier League history.

One player who has come in for a lot of criticism this season is Onana with pressure on the goalkeeper reaching a head following his two mistakes in their 2-2 draw against Lyon in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final last week.

Man Utd boss Amorim dropped Onana from the squad for their Premier League clash against Newcastle so that he could clear his head with Altay Bayindir stepping in against the Geordies in a 4-1 defeat.

There has been much speculation about Onana’s future with widespread reports expecting him to leave in the summer if they can get enough money for him.

And Amorim didn’t appreciate The Guardian reporter Jamie Jackson calling him out for avoiding a question during his pre-match press conference on Friday.

SimplyUtd wrote on X: ‘Ruben Amorim responds to @JamieJackson___ after he accused him of avoiding a question about whether #mufc need a new goalkeeper this summer: “You choose the questions, I choose the answer.”‘

Speaking about the club’s goalkeeper situation in general, Amorim said: “As a coach and former player first of all I try to do things that can help a player in this situation.

“We speak about managing players physically but we also have to manage them also mentally.

“We had one weekend where I felt it was better for Andre Onana not to play and a good thing for Altay [Bayindir] to play.”

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When asked who will be between the sticks when Man Utd face Lyon on Thursday, Amorim said: “Onana, he will play tomorrow.”

On the rest of his team news, Amorim added: “Matthijs [de Ligt] is going to return still this season. Ayden [Heaven] is out for this game with a small issue in training after contact with a team mate. Jonny Evans returned to training but is not available for this game.

“This month I think [Amad Diallo] is not ready but we hope to have him still this season.”

Harry Maguire, who was also answering questions at the press conference, thinks Man Utd have improved in recent weeks and he insists they are “looking forward” to their clash against Lyon in the Europa League.

Maguire said: “It’s been a disappointing season. There is no doubt about it. From the start of the season we have been far too inconsistent.

“I think the performances have picked up of late. However, I still think there are key aspects in the game where us players have got to take more responsibility and have to change them in our favour. There have been a lot of games that have been 50/50 and we have ended up on the bad end of a result. That is something we need to work on as a team, as a group of players.

“Tomorrow night is an important night for us in the competition. A big game at Old Trafford, European night and one we are looking forward to.”