Real reason Andre Onana missed Man Utd vs Arsenal given by Ruben Amorim - and it's not injury

Ruben Amorim insisted Andre Onana WAS fit enough to face Arsenal in Manchester United's Premier League opener - he just decided he didn't need him.

The £47million goalkeeper was left out of United's matchday squad for the meeting with Mikel Arteta's Gunners at Old Trafford. Altay Bayindir was given the nod to start with veteran stopper Tom Heaton on the bench.

Onana, 29, suffered a hamstring injury in early July and missed the Red Devils' pre-season fixtures. However, both he and United had hoped that he would be ready to start the season in goal for Ruben Amorim's men. But Onana's rehab hasn't gone completely to plan, he's only trained on a handful of occasions since being given the go-ahead to resume and spent the early part of Sunday training alone at United's Carrington training base.

Yet Amorim insisted ahead of the match that it had been his decision to leave out the ex-Inter Milan stopper, that his injury wasn't an issue and that Onana is fully fit. He said: "We try to choose the best players for each game, so next week is a different life.

"This week, we chose these players. No (he is not injured), he’s recovered but the other guys did so well during pre-season, so I need to balance that."

READ MORE: Man Utd vs Arsenal: 4 new players start as Andre Onana left out of opening game

READ MORE: Ruben Amorim makes brutal Rasmus Hojlund decision for Man Utd vs Arsenal

Onana has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer, his two years at the club having not quite gone to plan with United's worst two seasons of the Premier League era.

Pre-game, Onana was seen in the tunnel alongside Rasmus Hojlund - increasingly likely to exit before the close of the transfer window - laughing and joking as they watched team-mates warm up.

Benjamin Sesko, the new £74million signing from RB Leipzig, was only named among the substitutes, with Amorim electing to start another new boy, Matheus Cunha, as his most advanced forward.

"Ben [Sesko] had a very good week but he is just one week here," said Amorim. "It was four or five days he was not training. A lot of emotion, training countries, culture, signing a new contract and new people.

"The first impression is important so let the guy settle down. He is ready to help us in the game."

Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.