Man United Keeper Onana Tries to Delay AFCON Flight Over Fears of Losing Place to Bayindir

Source: Manchester United

Manchester United keeper Andre Onana is trying to delay his flight to AFCON to the last moment possible as he fears losing his place to Altay Bayindir according to Mail Sport.

Per the source, Premier League clubs were obligated to release players for AFCON duty on January 1st but United have secured Onana’s availability for the FA Cup tie against Wigan and now aim to hold onto him for the Tottenham encounter on January 14th.

READ: Who is Man United Keeper Altay Bayindir? Turkiye’s Rising Star

After the Spurs match, Onana would face a whirlwind seven-hour flight to join Cameroon for their AfCON opener just 24 hours later.

An early AfCON exit would allow Onana to return for the FA Cup’s fourth round, essentially missing no club games. However, should Cameroon reach the final on February 11th, the keeper could miss up to four crucial Premier League matches.

With Onana out the picture it would allow backup keeper Bayindir to get a run in goal.

The Turkish international has yet to make his debut for United but if he does impress he could end up forcing pressure on manager Erik ten Hag to reconsider his choice for number one keeper.

Onana has not been in the best of form and has come under criticism for his performances this season.

The Cameroon international has made several high profile mistakes and has conceded 45 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions this season.

Bayindir meanwhile, has been preparing for his break this season and could finally end up getting it.