Ruben Amorim will be raging after what Andre Onana was spotted doing 20 minutes in | OneFootball

On this occasion, however, as the Red Devils took on Real Sociedad in the Europa League round of 16 (first leg), the spotlight won’t have fallen on the much-maligned goalkeeper.

Instead, it seems Ruben Amorim and United fans will have been left pulling out their hair after what the rest of the starting-XI got up to in the opening half of action in San Sebastian.

Manchester United have been neutralised

(Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images)

To give credit where credit is due, away trips in Europe are tricky affairs on their own without considering Manchester United’s overall struggles in 2024/25.

Arch rivals Liverpool, for one, clearly discovered this during their clash with in-form PSG at Parc des Princes, with the hosts dominating their opposition throughout the 90 minutes.

However, it can’t exactly be encouraging for Amorim to see his outfield players not completing a single dribble against Sociedad 20 minutes into the game.

Andre Onana, by contrast, was the only United player to have done so (1), in stats shared on X (formerly Twitter) by @StatmanDave – an alarming lack of intent on show from his teammates.

Some signs of life against Real Sociedad

At the very least, this looks to be far less of a one-sided affair by comparison to the Merseysiders’ near-humbling in Paris.

“If you’re the Real Sociedad coach at home, you want a bit more control and pressure,” former Man Utd assistant coach Rene Meulensteen observed on BBC Radio 5 Live (via BBC Sport).

Sofascore’s momentum charts would at least indicate that Amorim’s outfit presented some significant threat in the first half of action at the Reale Arena.

Whether the visitors can convert this into a lead remains to be seen, though they are at least applying genuine pressure with three shots on target to Sociedad’s none.

Bruno Fernandes, as things currently stand, looks the likeliest to craft an opportunity for Manchester United, with the midfielder having already supplied one key pass in the opening 45.

The travelling Old Trafford faithful just have to hope that Andre Onana doesn’t experience yet another calamity between the sticks to blow away their hard work.