Immediately following the draw between Manchester United and Tottenham in the 21st round of the Premier League, Andre Onana promptly boarded a private flight, leaving Manchester for the Ivory Coast.

 

Originally scheduled to join the Cameroon national team for AFCON 2023 before January 14, Andre Onana opted to delay his arrival, concentrating on the team gathering in the Ivory Coast after the match against Tottenham in the 21st round of the Premier League on January 15.

 

Right after the game at Old Trafford, the 27-year-old goalkeeper swiftly boarded a flight to the Ivory Coast. On social media, he shared images indicating his departure from Manchester around 11:00 PM local time. It is anticipated that Onana will be present in the Ivory Coast’s capital, Yamoussoukro, to prepare for the match between the Cameroon national team and Guinea. According to the schedule, the match will take place at midnight tonight (January 16).

 

This marks the first match for the Cameroon national team in Group C of AFCON 2023. It remains uncertain whether Onana will have sufficient time to recover for his team’s opening game in the championship of African nations.

Before leaving Manchester, Onana faced criticism once again for an error during the Manchester United vs. Tottenham 2-2 draw. According to pundit Roy Keane, Onana made a mistake in the first goal conceded by the Red Devils, choosing an unfavorable position and lacking proactiveness in Richarlison’s headed goal.

 

This incident is not the first time Onana has faced criticism since joining Manchester United, previously receiving scrutiny for frequent errors.

At this point in the season, Onana has conceded 47 goals in 30 appearances. With Onana unavailable, Manager Ten Hag is likely to give Altay Bayındır the opportunity to start. This presents a significant chance for the Turkish goalkeeper to challenge the position of his Cameroonian counterpart.