Man Utd 'hoping' to receive major Andre Onana boost for Tottenham Hotspur clash

Manchester United are reportedly hopeful of having Andre Onana in goal for their Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on January 14 - just 24 hours before Cameroon kick off their Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

Onana was part of the official 27-man Cameroon squad that was announced last week, confirming his full return to the national team after a fallout with head coach Rigobert Song. The goalkeeper had featured in recent games for his country but his involvement in the mid-season tournament was never clear.

Premier League clubs were obliged to release their players for AFCON at the of this week, with the tournament kicking off on January 13. Onana has delayed his trip to be available for Monday's FA Cup third round tie at Wigan Athletic.

And now a report from The Daily Mail suggests that United are hoping to delay their goalkeeper's exit even further. They add that the club are in talks with Cameroon as to whether they can squeeze another game out of their first-choice shot-stopper. Should club and country come to an agreement, then Onana would be between the posts for United until around 6.30pm on the Sunday. He would then take a seven-hour flight to the Ivory Coast, where Cameroon face Guinea at 5pm.

Erik ten Hag hasn't been definitive in his comments on Onana's involvement in AFCON as recently as December 23. When pushed on the issue, he said: "We have discussed it but I am very comfortable. I can’t answer this question at the moment but if they call him up, you know the regulations."

United will also lose Sofyan Amrabat for the tournament as he has been called up to represent Morocco. Both they and Cameroon are expected to go far in the competition, with the final on February 11.