It was no secret that Manchester United signed Andre Onana for his outstanding ability on the ball rather than his shot-stopping qualities. But their desire to improve their build-up play after 12 years with David de Gea meant that they overlooked the fact that the primary job of a goalkeeper is to stop the ball going in the net.

And based on the last four months, that is a task that seems to be beyond Onana. The Cameroonian’s short career with United has been a traumatic experience for everyone involved, beginning with him getting lobbed from the halfway line on his Old Trafford debut in a friendly against Lens.

But Champions League nights have been particularly harrowing for the £47-million ($59m) signing, and his disaster-class in the 3-3 draw at Galatasaray, which leaves United bottom of Group A with one game to play, was the worst of the lot.

For United to reach the last 16, they now need to beat Bayern Munich in their final group game and hope that Galatasaray and Copenhagen’s match ends in a draw. In other words, they need a miracle. And if they cannot pull it off, Onana will be the biggest culprit for their return to Europe’s elite competition being short-lived.

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