Dwight Yorke believes the African Cup of Nations could benefit Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, although he is not yet convinced by the Cameroon stopper.
It is no secret that Onana has had a rocky start to life at Old Trafford since his expensive transfer from Inter Milan. Erik ten Hag wanted him as David de Gea’s replacement and we are in the middle of a transitional period with him between the sticks.
At the beginning of January, however, Onana will be away with Cameroon for the AFCON which is taking place in the Ivory Coast in 2024. United will be keeping an watchful eye on how well Cameroon do because if they go all the way, the former Ajax keeper could miss up to nine matches for the Reds which is far from ideal.
We can expect Altay Bayindir to make his debut around that period, but it remains to be seen for how long Ten Hag will be without his first-choice keeper. I wouldn’t be surprised if Onana was anxious about losing his place at Old Trafford while he is away but that is the risk he took when he returned to international football at the beginning of the season.
One former United player who isn’t completely sold on Onana is Dwight Yorke, who says there’s nothing the keeper can do about missing games over the tournament.
“There’s nothing Onana can do about being away for the AFCON,” Yorke told the Manchester Evening News. “Perhaps he could do with a break from Man United as he’s had a tough spell and he hasn’t covered himself in glory in recent weeks. I think Onana is second-best to what United could have bought, and that’s a problem. The whole club is second, or third-best and their ambitions seem to be to finish in the top four. United used to be all about being the best!
“It would have been great if Onana was the best ‘keeper in the league, but he’s not. Nobody cares who finished second in the Premier League, and I don’t resonate with United’s second-best mentality. Being second is a new trend at Man United, and I think the club are happy with it. That’s just my take.
“If Onana were to go, I’m sure there would be both happy and unhappy people. The jury is still out on Onana at the moment, and I don’t think him going to the AFCON will be met with too many cries.”
Onana has conceded 38 goals in 23 appearances for United this season. Tonight he will be hoping to avoid another mistake in the Champions League when United host Bayern Munich.
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