Man Utd's Andre Onana makes 'dramatic' AFCON decision amid ongoing no.1 concerns

Andre Onana is reportedly set to miss Cameroon's first Africa Cup of Nations fixture on Monday after prioritising his place at Manchester United.

Onana was in goal for United's 2-0 FA Cup win at Wigan Athletic on Monday evening, despite clubs being obliged to release their players on January 1. An agreement was reached with the Cameroon FA, headed by former striker Samuel Eto’o, and Erik ten Hag will also have his first-choice goalkeeper available for Sunday's Premier League game at home to Tottenham Hotspur. That game will finish at around 6.30pm on Sunday and Onana's plan was thought to originally involve heading straight to the airport and fly to the Ivory Coast, who are hosting this year's AFCON. Cameroon face Guinea at 5pm on Monday.

But according to The i, Onana could be forced to miss Cameroon's opener as he is highly unlikely to arrive in time to prepare. The report also adds that the 27-year-old could miss the entire tournament as a result. Should Cameroon be eliminated from AFCON at the group stages, then it is possible Onana could be available for every United game. Following Sunday's meeting with Spurs, they do not play again until the FA Cup fourth round on the weekend of January 27/28 - Cameroon's final group stage game is on Tuesday 23 January.

Onana's decision to risk his Cameroon place comes amid concerns over his No.1 spot at United. The former Ajax man has played every minute of football since arriving from Inter Milan in a £47million deal over the summer, but a number of high profile errors have seen his suitability for the role called into question.

Backup stopper Altay Bayindir also joined United in the summer, leaving Fenerbahce for around £4m. The Turkish international is yet to play a single minute of football under Ten Hag and is widely expected to make his debut at some point this month, with Onana at AFCON.

Onana only returned to the Cameroon squad late last year amid pressure from above as he is one of their best-known stars across the globe, having featured for three massive European clubs in Ajax, Inter and United. He left the 2022 World Cup early and retired from international football after a fallout with manager Rigobert Song.

Ten Hag was reluctant to be drawn Onana's AFCON plans a recently as December 23 and his press conference ahead of the 3-2 win over Aston Villa after Christmas. The Dutchman insisted: "I can’t answer this question at the moment but if they call him up, you know the regulations."