Man Utd reach ‘amicable agreement’ with AFCON side as player opts to play ‘two games in 24 hours’
Andre Onana has agreed to join up with Cameroon after Manchester United’s match against Tottenham on January 14, meaning he will likely play two games in 24 hours.
Cameroon kick off their African Cup of Nations campaign against Guinea on January 15.
Arsenal, for example, will lose Takehiro Tomiyasu due to Japan’s Asian Cup participation on Friday, meaning he will miss this weekend’s FA Cup clash against Liverpool.
Manchester United, however, have managed to keep hold of Onana so he can play against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup and then at home to Tottenham six days later.
This has been reported by The Athletic correspondent David Ornstein, who says Onana will travel to Ivory Coast for the continental tournament ‘straight after’ the Red Devils host Ange Postecoglou’s side on the 14th.
It is a bonus for Erik ten Hag that he will have his first-choice goalkeeper available for longer than initially expected, though it doesn’t say too much about back-up ‘keeper Altay Bayindir.
OPINION: AFCON deserves much more respect – even with farcical referee scenes
Onana retired from international duty in December 2022 but returned last August, after signing for Manchester United.
Ornstein says the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT) ‘convinced’ the former Inter shot-stopper to return ahead of AFCON this month.
The ‘amicable agreement’ between FECAFOOT and United comes as the former ‘accepts that the Premier League club did not expect to lose Onana at a key point in the season’.
This ‘compromise’ has ‘maximised’ the player’s game time at club and international level.
If Cameroon fail to make it out of their AFCON group – which features Gambia, Guinea and Senegal – the player might not miss a single match for United.
The AFCON final is on the same day as the Red Devils’ trip to Aston Villa in the Premier League. They face Wolves and West Ham in the Premier League before then.
Should Cameroon go all the way, Onana will miss those three fixtures and a potential FA Cup fourth-round tie.
Bayindir has yet to appear for the club since joining from Fenerbahce in the summer transfer window.
He will be hoping for a solid tournament from Cameroon as he bids to stake a claim at Old Trafford.
READ MORE: Prem clubs ranked on AFCON, Asian Cup absentees: Forest suffer; Man City, Newcastle unscathed
