Andre Onana has been left out of Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations squad, and this could have a knock-on effect for one of Manchester United’s stars.
Andre Onana fell out of favour with Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim last season due to a series of blunders hindering the Reds’ campaign.
The arrival of Senne Lammens at Old Trafford cemented Onana’s omission from the United squad, which forced him to seek a loan move to Turkish side Trabzonspor in the latter stages of the summer transfer window.
Although the 29-year-old goalkeeper has looked better for his new side, he has now faced another setback as he has been left out of Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations squad.
This bizarre decision has come completely out of the blue, and it could cause a knock-on effect for fellow countryman, Bryan Mbeumo, who is set to miss a host of United games to star for his country.
Onana omission and Brys dismissal could boost United
As reported by BBC Sport, not only has Onana been left out of Cameroon’s squad, but the African nation have also sacked their manager ahead of the tournament.
Belgian manager Marc Brys has been dismissed by Samuel Eto’o following a long list of accusations of “professional failure”, including failure to attend meetings, refusing to disclose training programmes, and many more.
One of his assistants, David Pagou, has been left in charge of the Cameroon squad, and he is the one responsible for leaving out several big names ahead of this winter’s AFCON.
Despite cruising through qualifying, the hostility surrounding the squad, as well as the omissions of Onana, captain and top scorer Vincent Aboubakar, and midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, could diminish the side’s chances of success.
Mbeumo could face early exit
The Indomitable Lions are one of the tournament’s strongest squads, but are in danger of squandering their chances after leaving out several of their key figures.
Mbeumo’s nation could run the risk of suffering a similar tournament to Spain in the 2018 World Cup, where they sacked manager Julien Lopetegui shortly before the tournament and subsequently crashed out of the Round of 16 against Russia.
United are set to be without their new star for up to six Premier League fixtures over the Christmas period, depending on how far Cameroon make it in the tournament.
Given the importance of Mbeumo’s goals this season, fans of the Red Devils will be saddened by the absence of their right-winger, although they will be sure to wish him the best as he represents his country.
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