The Man Utd games Andre Onana could miss due to 2023 AFCON

Manchester United could lose two players in one call-up if Andre Onana goes with Cameroon to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the start of next year.

UEFA’s technical report of the 2023 Champions League final described the goalkeeper, then of Internazionale, as “less a sweeper-keeper than a holding midfielder”. Onana’s envied passing range is arguably his biggest strength but United must also have been enticed by his lack of international commitment when they signed the 27-year-old for £47m in July.

At the time, Onana had retired from international football after leaving Cameroon’s camp before the group stages of the 2022 World Cup had concluded. Yet, Rigobert Song has called up United’s keeper for Cameroon’s impending September internationals in a bid to qualify for the tournament in the Ivory Coast.

Here’s everything you need to know about Onana’s international future and how it may impinge upon his involvement for Manchester United.

Across the 12 months leading up to the World Cup in Qatar, Onana had started every competitive Cameroon fixture. The shot-stopper maintained this record for the 1-0 defeat to Switzerland in Cameroon’s first group game but was dropped ahead of the meeting with Serbia by Song for “disciplinary reasons”.

Onana took 26 touches outside his penalty area against Switzerland – more than striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – and Song didn’t care for this approach. “I know what I have to do,” Cameroon’s coach explained, “and that is to ensure that the team takes precedence over any individuals. Andre wanted to step out and we accepted that position. In a squad, discipline is important.”

After flying home from Qatar early, joining the storied history of Cameroonian goalkeeper dramas, Onana announced his international retirement – and his “love for the national team”.

“Players come and go, names are fleeting, but Cameroon comes before any player or person,” he wrote.

With a straight face, Song recalled Onana at the end of August and insisted: “There were never any problems. I said at the last [news] conference that it was all up to him and he knew what he had to do.

“If he is on the list, it is because he did the right thing. He is one of the best goalkeepers. The door was always open, it is better to have all these players there than not to have them.”

Onana’s only response was a cryptic social media post of the African proverb: “The lie bears flowers but not fruit.”

To avoid clashing with European club competitions, the next AFCON was supposed to be held during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer. Yet, various knock-on effects of the COVID-pandemic have nudged the 2023 tournament into 2024.

The continental jamboree begins with the first group game for the host nation, the Ivory Coast, on 13 January 2024. The 24-team competition will be wrapped up with a final in the country’s national stadium on 11 February 2024.

If Onana and Cameroon spend all four weeks on the southern coast of West Africa, United could play as many as seven matches without their first-choice goalkeeper.

Man Utd’s Premier League games during the 2023 AFCON

The first Premier League goal Onana conceded was scored by Tottenham Hotspur’s Pape Sarr – who, incidentally, could also be away with Senegal at the Cup of Nations.

If Cameroon qualify for the finals – which hinges on a decider against Burundi on home soil on 12 September 2023 – Onana is guaranteed to miss the rematch with Tottenham. Exact dates for the upcoming AFCON have not yet been revealed but the group stage usually takes two weeks.

Even if Cameroon were to bow out in the first round – which has happened just once in the 21st century – it’s unlikely that Onana would be available for United’s trip to Molineux on 30 January 2024.

Potential Man Utd FA Cup ties during the 2023 AFCON

Unlike at other clubs, Onana’s absence could also be felt in the FA Cup. Erik ten Hag steered Manchester United to last season’s FA Cup final while starting his first-choice goalkeeper at the time, the departed David de Gea, in each and every round.

United’s first tie in the competition will be a third-round contest on the weekend of Saturday 6 January 2024 – potentially Onana’s last club fixture before joining up with Cameroon.

Potential Man Utd Carabao Cup ties during the 2023 AFCON

Ten Hag used three different goalkeepers during United’s triumphant run in last term’s Carabao Cup. Newcastle United loanee Martin Dubravka was trusted for the third and fourth round before Tom Heaton came in for the quarter-finals. De Gea took over the first leg of the semi-finals against Nottingham Forest while Heaton was recalled for the second leg before Ten Hag plumped for his number one in the final.

Such flexibility should ensure that Onana is not missed too much if United go deep in England’s secondary cup competition again.

Potential Man Utd Champions League ties during the 2023 AFCON

The first Champions League round of 16 ties could take place as early as 13 February 2024, just two days after the AFCON final. Cameroon have made it to the semi-finals of the continental competition five times this century, winning the whole thing three times.

With one of the world’s best goalkeepers (and holding midfielders apparently) back in the side, Cameroon’s chances of reaching the last weekend of the competition will only increase. Although, United fans may be selfishly crossing their fingers for an early exit.

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