Onana may skip AFCON to focus on United, says report
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana is reportedly leaning towards skipping the upcoming 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). The tournament starts on Jan. 13 and runs until Feb. 11. Onana has collected 35 caps for his home nation of Cameroon.
The shot-stopper is reportedly having second thoughts regarding the tournament due to his shaky start at Old Trafford. Onana arrived at United this summer for around $55 million from Inter Milan. The highly rated goalkeeper was brought in as a direct replacement for legend David de Gea. However, things have not exactly gone as planned for Onana.
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The Cameroonian has so far shown glimpses of his abilities but also has had several mishaps as well. Onana made a significant error in United’s 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich back in September. He was then also to blame for a penalty and red card incident during a matchup with Galatasaray on Tuesday. The Turkish side ended up beating the Red Devils 3-2, in its win on English soil.
While Onana hasn’t exactly hit the ground running with United, manager Erik ten Hag has backed his goalkeeper. “We are happy with our goalkeeping group,” ten Hag told reporters after the Galatasaray debacle.
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“Andre was in one semifinal of the Champions League [with Ajax], he was in the final last season [with Inter] so he has capabilities to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he has shown that. We have already seen in games his great capabilities, also his personality. He will bounce back.”
If Onana chooses to play for his national team during the AFCON, he could miss up to seven United matches. This would include a big-six clash with Tottenham Hotspur, as well as a few domestic cup matches.