Andre Onana Flies Straight to Africa Cup of Nations After Manchester United’s Draw with Tottenham

Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana wasted no time after Manchester United‘s 2-2 draw with Tottenham, as he immediately flew to the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Despite the tight schedule, Onana made the decision to join his national team in Ivory Coast so he could play in the crucial clash against Spurs at Old Trafford. The 27-year-old, who was attending his first game since INEOS‘s £1.3 billion investment in the club, faced a quick turnaround and began his 4,800-mile journey on a private jet to Cameroon for their tournament opener against Guinea.

Cameroon intends to have Onana on the bench for the Group C clash in Yamoussoukro, scheduled to kick off at 5pm GMT. Following his seven-hour flight, Onana’s distant cousin Fabrice Ondoa, who plays in the French third division, is expected to take over as goalkeeper for the match. Managed by former Liverpool and West Ham player Rigobert Song, Cameroon will be facing Guinea, Senegal, and Gambia in their group. Senegal, the defending champions, won the tournament for the first time by defeating Egypt in the last edition.

Onana had previously missed Cameroon’s warm-up game against Zambia in order to play in the FA Cup match against Wigan. It remains uncertain whether Onana will miss any United matches during his time at the Africa Cup of Nations. If Cameroon gets eliminated, Onana could feasibly make it back in time for the fourth round of the FA Cup, in which United has been drawn to play either Eastleigh or Newport away on January 28.

As an international duty under FIFA rules, Onana had no choice but to respond to his country’s call-up, even though it puts his position as United’s number two goalkeeper Altay Bayindir at risk. However, there are still unresolved issues between Onana and Cameroon football federation president Samuel Eto'o, dating back to Onana’s expulsion from the national team’s World Cup camp in November 2022.

Despite the draw with Tottenham, Onana’s performance received a six out of ten rating from Mail Sport. Some felt that he could have come out for the corner from which Richarlison scored. Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford stood out with scores of eight and seven respectively. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the new investor who recently completed a £1.3 billion investment in Manchester United, was in attendance at Old Trafford for the first time since the announcement.

In addition to Ratcliffe’s investment, he and his business partner Sir Dave Brailsford are expected to make structural changes at the club once their investment is ratified by the Premier League. Former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who has offered advice to the club since his retirement in 2013, joined Ratcliffe in executive seating at Old Trafford for the game against Tottenham. Ferguson hinted at his excitement about the investment and the future changes in United’s structure during an informal gathering with the media before the match.