Andre Onana, the newly arrived $56 million shot-stopper from Inter Milan, is having a shaky campaign at his new club, Manchester United. Despite making a promising start on his Premier League debut and keeping a clean sheet, his performance has taken a hit since then.
The Cameroon international found himself on a tightrope between his club commitments and national team duty. Initially expected to miss Manchester United’s fixture due to AFCON 2024, but his decision to juggle both has drawn criticism. Now, a former African icon has slammed the 27-year-old’s approach.
Emmanuel Adebayor unhappy with Andre Onana’s behavior
Andre Onana was named in the 25-man squad of the Cameroon national team to compete in the African Cup of Nations 2024 this month. But he decided to prioritize club duties, playing for Manchester United in a recent Premier League fixture against Spurs, before flying to Ivory Coast to join the national team camp.
The goalkeeper was anticipated to join the Cameroon team before their tournament’s opener. Unfortunately, he failed to make it and be part of the team’s matchday squad due to a late arrival. Despite his efforts to take a private jet from England and make it on time, the plan collapsed, and he subsequently missed the fixture.
In light of the situation, former Manchester City and Real Madrid forward Emmanuel Adebayor has called out Onana for his actions, as he believes the keeper has disrespected his country and alienated his teammates and fans.
While speaking to Sports News Africa, he said, “He [Onana] did not respect Cameroon. I was a player like him, and even being the most important player in my selection, I never acted in this way [arriving on the day of the match].”
“The fact that this situation is happening shows that there is a problem, perhaps even within the federation. He risks losing big because he has alienated the Cameroonian supporters, as well as many African supporters and undoubtedly certain members of the team.”
Andre Onana’s importance to Cameroon national team
In the absence of the first-choice keeper Andre Onana, Cameroon played to a 1-1 draw against Guinea in the opening AFCON fixture on Monday.
In the previous edition of AFCON, the 27-year-old played every single minute for The Indomitable Lions until crashing out of the competition in the semi-final.
Notably, Onana was recalled from his retirement from the national team a few months ago by the president of the country himself to play for Cameroon, honoring his request.
He returned to international duty in September and has been expected to be a leader from the back in this AFCON campaign.
