Can you get from Old Trafford in Manchester to Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, within 24 hours? This will be the challenge for goalkeeper André Onana.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper will hear the first whistle of his club Manchester United’s match against Tottenham Hotspur on January 14 at 17.30. And in just over 24 hours, the goalkeeper is expected to face Guinea in the Africa Cup of Nations some eight thousand kilometers to the south, where his home nation, Cameroon, is expected to face Guinea in the Africa Cup of Nations.
The national tournament on the African continent has already been running for two days but Onana could fly out later after his club Manchester United and Cameroonian football federation Fecafoot agreed to release the goalkeeper at a later date.
United coach Erik ten Hag will therefore still be able to rely on his best goalkeeper in the FA Cup match against Wigan (January 8) and the Premier League match against Spurs. In the English league, Manchester United is eighth with 31 points and Tottenham Hotspur is fifth with 39 points.
Onana retired from the Cameroon national team in 2022 due to a dispute with the association’s president, Samuel Eto’o. However, in September Onana returned to De Indomitable Leeuwen to help his country in the African Cup of Nations qualifying series. This favor would give the association the flexibility to allow the goalkeeper to join the group at a later date.
In the Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon forms a group with Senegal, Gambia and Guinea, and Cameroon starts the tournament with it. The real question is whether Onana will actually play goalkeeper. But the intention is clear: Immediately after the match against Spurs, Onana gets on the plane.
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
