Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana marked his return from international retirement with Cameroon with a clean sheet after a 3-0 win over Burundi in the African Cup of Nations qualifying rounds.
It was announced just a week ago that Onana would return to action for Cameroon following a fallout with coach Rigobert Song at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The 27-year-old’s decision shocked a few and has left a few of us feeling worried that he could miss a chunk of the season due to the AFCON.
Onana played the entire game in Garoua on Tuesday to earn his 35th senior cap and 13th clean sheet on the international stage.
The three goals were scored by Brentford forward Bryan Mbuemo, Rennes defender Christopher Wood and Besiktas striker Vincent Aboubakar.
This result saw Cameroon book their place for next year’s AFCON. That means United could be without their new first-choice goalkeeper for at least four games in the new year – and possibly more if they advance to the latter rounds of the competition.
The AFCON is being staged in the Ivory Coast between January 13 and February 11.
Between those dates, United are due to play Tottenham, Wolves, West Ham and Aston Villa in the Premier League alone. Beyond that, there are two FA Cup dates pencilled in for the January 6-7 and January 27-28 weekends.
Far from ideal when it’s our first-choice goalkeeper.
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