Andre Onana is likely to be in Cameroon’s squad for Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations group stage match against defending champions Senegal after returning to team training on Wednesday.
The goalkeeper missed Cameroon’s opening game in Ivory Coast on Monday after being allowed to stay at United and feature in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. He flew overnight to West Africa after the game at Old Trafford, but arrived hours before the Group C match against Guinea, which Cameroon came from behind to draw 1-1.
The decision to forfeit the 27-year-old’s opening match of the World Cup sparked controversy among Cameroon fans. Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Ivory Coast, Onana described the pull of loyalty between club and country, particularly for African internationals who are forced to leave their European clubs mid-season to participate in the Nations Cup.
“It’s like choosing between my father and my mother, but my country comes first and that’s why I’m here,” he said. “Let people continue to criticize me. I’m used to it. I do what’s good for my country.”
Onana’s history with Cameroon has been full of twists and turns since he broke into the team as a teenager at Ajax. He declined a call-up to the 2017 Nations Cup final, which Cameroon won. At the last World Cup in Qatar, he was sent home after a game after a dispute with coach Rigobert Song. Patched.
