Reports indicate that Andre Onana of Manchester United is likely to be absent from Cameroon’s inaugural match in the African Cup of Nations, and there is even speculation that he might skip the entire tournament.
Despite being United’s primary goalkeeper, Onana was included in Cameroon’s 27-man squad for the tournament, which kicks off on January 13.
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Originally set to miss up to six games for United, an agreement was reached between the Red Devils and Cameroon, allowing him to stay until January 14.
This arrangement enabled Onana to play a role in United’s 2-0 FA Cup triumph over Wigan Athletic on Monday, and he remains eligible for the upcoming clash against Tottenham on Sunday.
While Onana initially believed he could start in goal for Cameroon’s first AFCON group game against Guinea on January 15, reports from iNews suggest he may not arrive in time for the match, potentially leading to him missing out entirely.
There is even speculation that he might not participate in any match during the tournament.
In the event of an early exit for Cameroon in the group stage, Onana would avoid missing any minutes for United, as their next match after Spurs is scheduled for January 24.
It is rumored that Onana reluctantly joined the Cameroonian squad under pressure from the country’s president, and his relationship with the head of the Cameroon FA, Samuel Eto’o, is reportedly strained.
Despite having retired from international duty last year due to a disagreement with manager Rigobert Song during the Qatar World Cup fallout, Onana returned in September.
United head coach Erik ten Hag previously said he was relaxed over losing Onana to AFCON, saying: ‘When he goes there, we have a strong group of keepers with Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton so we are comfortable.
‘Of course, we hope Andre is available as much as possible, but if not we have two good keepers who can replace him.’
