After Cameroon consented to the goalkeeper’s delayed release for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), Andre Onana will fly to the competition directly following Manchester United’s game against Tottenham on Sunday week.
Cameroon is scheduled to play Guinea in Ivory Coast on January 15, the day following United’s encounter against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, meaning Onana may play twice in the space of 24 hours if selected by his country.
United had been in talks with the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) to postpone Onana’s release so that he could participate in the FA Cup third-round fixture against Wigan Athletic on Monday and the Premier League match against Tottenham at home six days later.
Onana retired from international football after getting sent off during the World Cup in Qatar in November 2022 due to a disagreement with coach Rigobert Song and Fecafoot president Samuel Eto’o, a former Barcelona striker.
United purchased Onana from Inter Milan for £47.2 million in July, not expecting to lose him to the Afcon six months later due to a strained relationship between Cameroon and the goalkeeper.
The Cameroon federation is said to have been sympathetic to United’s plight, which played a role in the club agreeing to Onana’s delayed release during friendly talks. Those discussions were well received by Erik ten Hag, who met for the first time with incoming United minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Wednesday.
Onana, for one, has been cautious of going to the Afcon since it could jeopardize his first season with Manchester United in England.
Ten Hag has stood by Onana despite a string of errors and uninspiring performances, but the goalkeeper is anxious that he may struggle to restore his spot once he returns from the tournament.
With the Afcon final scheduled for February 11, the same day that United travel to Aston Villa in the Premier League, Onana may miss up to four games for his side if they reach the FA Cup fourth round at the cost of Wigan. The remaining two league games Onana could miss are against Wolves and West Ham.
In Onana’s absence, Ten Hag is anticipated to turn on Altay Bayindir, the Turkey goalkeeper recruited from Fenerbahce on September 1, or veteran Tom Heaton. Bayindir has yet to make an appearance for the club.
Ratcliffe first meets Ten Hag as a new investor.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag and Ratcliffe met informally at United’s Carrington training camp for the first time since the Ineos founder’s £1.03 billion transaction for a 29% stake in the club was disclosed on Christmas Eve.
Ratcliffe met with Ten Hag and members of his squad this week as part of a series of talks at Carrington and Old Trafford while the deal awaits Premier League sanction.
The billionaire from Oldham arrived in Manchester on Tuesday, accompanied by Ineo’s head of sport Sir Dave Brailsford, and is set to stay until Friday. “It’s all about helping Jim, Dave and the [Ineos] team get to know the club and its people and develop plans for working together,” a source close to the matter stated.
Ten Hag stated publicly last week that he feels Ratcliffe and Ineos want to work with him, despite the fact that his long-term future is under threat if results do not improve. This season, United has lost 14 games in all competitions.
The group’s immediate goal is to fix United’s recruitment issues, with a new director of football and a head of recruitment expected to be appointed.
United have exercised a 12-month extension option in Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s contract, tying him to the club until June of next year. Borussia Dortmund is also getting closer to clinching a loan deal for Jadon Sancho, with talks with Manchester United going well.