André Onana is reluctant to take time away from Manchester United to play for Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in January after a difficult start to his career at Old Trafford, a source has told ESPN.
Onana quit international football following the World Cup in Qatar after a disagreement with head coach Rigobert Song. He agreed to return for the final AFCON qualifier against Burundi in September amid pressure from the government and Cameroon FA.
A 3-0 victory for Cameroon booked their place at the tournament, which starts in the Ivory Coast on Jan. 13. Onana, however, is reluctant to take part because it could mean the 27-year-old missing a month of the Premier League season and, according to a source close to the player, his priority is to focus on his new club.
Onana is particularly keen to stay at Old Trafford following a tough start to his first season, which has included a series of costly mistakes, and wants to show his commitment to United.
He made a horrible error in the 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich in September and was also at fault for the incident which saw Casemiro sent off in 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray on Tuesday.
“We are happy with our goalkeeping group,” said Ten Hag following the defeat to Galatasaray. “Andre was in one semifinal of the Champions League [with Ajax], he was in the final last season [with Inter] so he has capabilities to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he has shown that. We have already seen in games his great capabilities, also his personality. He will bounce back.”
During negotiations over his £47.3 million (($57.37m) move from Inter, Onana told Ten Hag and United bosses that he had no plans to return to the Cameroon set-up. However, a source has told ESPN that the Dutchman is sympathetic to the goalkeeper’s situation and won’t interfere in his decision.
Onana has been called up to the Cameroon squad for games against Russia and Senegal during the October international break, but a source has told ESPN there will be further talks with officials before he commits to playing at AFCON.
