WIGAN, ENGLAND – JANUARY 08: Andre Onana of Manchester United looks on after the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Wigan Athletic and Manchester United at DW Stadium on January 08, 2024 in Wigan, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Manchester United’s No. 1 Andre Onana has been strongly criticised for his decision to delay his arrival at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
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The ex-Inter Milan goalkeeper will only travel to Ivory Coast after United’s Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur this coming weekend.
This leaves the shot-stopper unlikely to be available for Cameroon’s opening game of the tournament against Guinea on 15 January.
A former Cameroon international, Sebastien Bassong, who was capped on 15 occasions for the Indomitable Lions, believes Onana is showing a lack of respect to the competition.
“That sends such a bad message, not only for Cameroon, but for the respect people will have for the Africa Cup of Nations and for the way they should treat us, the equality,” he said, according to the Mirror.
“If we don’t even respect ourselves how can you expect other people to treat you any different.
“I like Andre, I’ll always have his back when I have to, but when things like that happen… the nation, the pride of the country and the continent is way (more important than) an individual person.”
Onana briefly retired from international duty after he left the 2022 FIFA World Cup early following a fallout with head coach Rigobert Song.
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He later agreed to return to the fold ahead of the upcoming AFCON, but risks upsetting supporters by joining up with his colleagues later than anticipated.
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