Andre Onana’s Africa Cup of Nations adventure will begin after Manchester United’s Premier League showdown with Tottenham according to The Athletic.
The goalkeeper, initially expected to join Cameroon sooner, will now stay with the Red Devils until January 14th, meaning he’s available for both the FA Cup tie against Wigan and the crucial Tottenham encounter.
READ: Who is Man United Keeper Altay Bayindir? Turkiye’s Rising Star
This bizarre agreement between United and Cameroon leaves Ten Hag facing a juggling act. While Onana’s availability boosts United’s immediate goals, it creates a potential backup quandary.
Onana fears losing his place to Bayindir in goal after his poor form, Ten Hag meanwhile, continues to show reluctance in rotating his goalkeeper.
Altay Bayindir, Ten Hag’s Turkish understudy, hasn’t featured under the new manager and could face extended playing time during Onana’s absence.
Despite this United manager Erik ten Hag has said he has confidence in his backup keeper.
In December, the Dutchman said: “We are very pleased with Altay. He gets used to Premier League, he gets used to European football, which is tough when you are coming from Turkey but we are very pleased with the process. He is doing very well.”
“He has to be patient but if he works well, if he keeps his progress, he will get his chances and he has to take this.”
Onana could end up featuring in both club and country games within 48 hours. Onana himself, having reversed his international retirement, faces a demanding fortnight balancing club loyalty with national pride.
United signed Onana aware of the AFCON tournament, but his return to international duty threw their plans into disarray. Ten Hag, despite expressing confidence in Bayindir, will now have to rely on the untested Turk for potentially four crucial matches.
How Bayindir handles the pressure, and how Onana manages the emotional and physical demands of a whirlwind fortnight, will be fascinating subplots in the coming weeks.
United could benefit from Onana’s absence if Bayindir proves himself in goal as the Cameroon international has already conceded 45 times and made several major mistakes already this season.
