Manchester United loanee Andre Onana has received a surprise call-up to the Cameroon squad for AFCON one week after he was seemingly left out, but there is confusion over his place in the team.
Andre Onana of Trabzonspor celebrates a goal during the Turkish Super Lig match between Trabzonspor and TUMOSAN Konyaspor
Andre Onana has received a surprise AFCON call-up after confusion within the Cameroon camp
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Manchester United loanee Andre Onana may have been handed a lifeline in his hopes of joining up with the rest of the Cameroon squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, while chaos engulfs the national team. The 29-year-old was officially excluded from the squad named by David Pagou, who was named the interim coach of the national team last week, which came as quite a blow to the shot-stopper.
However, just two days out from the full squad submission date, The Sun reports that Onana has been included in Cameroon's AFCON squad, but the one submitted by former head coach Marc Brys. Fecafoot, Cameroon's football federation, dismissed the manager after Samuel Eto'o was appointed as the new president of the federation, citing "professional failure" and claims that players were incited to defy them.
Brys, however, states that he was never formally told about his dismissal and insists that he will continue as the head coach of the national team into the tournament. As a result, the report claims that Onana has been included in Brys' list that he wants to submit, while interim coach Pagou has left him out of the squad.
It continues a power struggle at the top of Cameroonian football that is causing chaos and far from ideal preparation for the team before AFCON even gets underway. It's unclear exactly how the situation will end, with the deadline for squad submission being Thursday, leaving plenty of confusion over who will be involved and who won't.
Man United's Bryan Mbeumo is claimed to be on both lists, having been a key star for club and country in recent seasons, along with United transfer target Carlos Baleba. For Onana, however, he is stuck in the middle of this power struggle at the top of the international game, with no certainty on whether he will truly be called up or not.
Andre Onana made one Manchester United appearance this season before joining Trabzonspor
Andre Onana made one Manchester United appearance this season before joining Trabzonspor
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The 29-year-old was viewed as a key signing for Man United back in 2023, seen as the ideal option to help play Erik ten Hag's style of football. After a string of errors and a managerial change, his place in the team was no longer guaranteed, as this summer saw Onana move to Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor on loan.
The results have certainly been more positive than negative for the Cameroonian international, who has three clean sheets in 11 appearances, along with seven wins and only one defeat – which he tasted on his debut for the club. It has seen a sort of revival for him, though it's unclear if that'll be enough to see him return to Old Trafford and compete for the number one shirt.
That's currently held by Senne Lammens, who joined in the summer to little fanfare before he made his way into the team as the number one option. The Belgian has been likened to Peter Schmeichel in his short spell at the club so far, with a chant dedicated towards it.
On that chant, he told Man United's official website: "It was really nice to hear it already in the first game, I think it is a sign that the fans are happy with me. It feels really good that I can give them that trust."
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