Man United Goalie Onana To Miss Key Fixtures After Agreeing To Play At AFON 

Andre Onana has reportedly chosen to join his Cameroon teammates in the AFCON, meaning he will miss a number of important Manchester United games.

Prior to leaving the game, the former Inter goalkeeper had been dropped from the Cameroon national team mid-tournament in Qatar due to a conflict with head coach Rigobert Song. Onana, however, was added back to the national squad when the two men resolved their disagreements. After returning, he played in two matches during the international break in October: one friendly against Senegal and the other an AFCON qualification against Burundi.

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Onana has granted permission to represent The Indomitable Lions in the continental competition, which is scheduled to begin in the Ivory Coast on January 13, according to iNews.

If Cameroon excel in the tournament and reach the final, United will have to make do without Onana’s services in four Premier League matches, two FA Cup ties and a potential Carabao Cup semi-final. Onana has been gradually finding his feet at his new club and emerged as the hero in United’s slender Champions League win over FC Copenhagen last week, after he kept out an injury-time penalty to seal the three points. He was one of the better performers in the 3-0 derby defeat to Manchester City last weekend, too, and his efforts were further acknowledged when he came 23rd in the 2023 Ballon d’Or vote after a brilliant previous season with the Nerrazurri.

The Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, who joined from Fenerbahce in the summer, will be United’s only option if Onana decides to accept Song’s request to play internationally. Nevertheless, Onana will remain in goal for United in the near future as he faces Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday and hosts Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.