What Andre Onana did after being left out by Ruud van Nistelrooy for Man Utd spoke volumes

was granted a night off by interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy on Wednesday, yet he demonstrated his dedication by stepping onto the pitch to assist his fellow goalkeepers in their warm-up.

Onana, the first-choice goalkeeper, was one of four players from final United XI who were not included in Van Nistelrooy's first line-up. and Noussair Mazraoui were substitutes , but neither Onana nor Christian Eriksen made it into the matchday squad.

Altay Bayindir was the starting goalkeeper against Leicester, with seasoned player Tom Heaton as backup. Despite some shaky moments in only his second start of the season, Bayindir's performance didn't hinder United's victory, thanks to two goals each from and .

Given his near-constant presence since joining United in 2023, few would have faulted Onana for taking a night off. However, as Bayindir and Heaton were being prepared for the game, the Cameroon international was there, readying them for action.

The majority of the goals at Old Trafford on Wednesday were scored before half-time. Casemiro netted twice before the interval, with and captain Fernandes also contributing, while Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady scored for the visiting team.

Fernandes dazzled with his second goal of the evening just before the 60-minute mark, seizing on a wayward backpass to deftly sidestep goalkeeper Danny Ward and ruthlessly finish. The strike sealed the scoring, tallying United's impressive haul to 12 goals across two fixtures following their demolition of Barnsley in the previous round.

are set to be the next hurdle in the quarter-finals after squad edged past a young team on Wednesday. Onana's participation in the upcoming December clash is up for speculation, considering his involvement in both matches for United in last season's tournament.

Van Nistelrooy's managerial debut for United against Leicester came after Ten Hag's exit, marking his first stint as interim boss.

Although it might not be his sole appearance leading the team, with tipped to take over post-international break, Van Nistelrooy reflected on his initial match compared to Ten Hag's last.

Reflecting on the team's performance, he remarked: "I have to say the chances we created against Fenerbahce and West Ham, also I remember at Crystal Palace, we created so many bigger, better chances than today. We had the luck with the post and the deflection [on Fernandes' free-kick].

"Sometimes, it's what you need. It makes football a cruel game sometimes. As I said, we created much better and bigger chances in past games than today so, hopefully, the luck has turned today and we can build on this victory."