Sports
ANDRE Onana must think of his career when he decides whether to miss part of the Premier League season to go to the Africa Cup of Nations in January, says former Manchester United and Cameroon midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba.
Indomitable Lions goalkeeper Onana could miss more than a month of United’s campaign if he joins his country’s squad at the tournament in Ivory Coast.
The 27-year-old, who ended his international retirement in September, has come under scrutiny during a poor start to the season for United which has seen them knocked out of Europe and well off the pace domestically.
“One of the problems for him is even if he plays well over the next month, he then goes away for a month to Afcon,” Djemba-Djemba told BBC Sport Africa, adding that Onana could damage his prospects of being first choice for Cameroon if he stays in Manchester.
“He knows if he goes, maybe he will lose his place at Manchester United.
“He has to decide what is best for him. He just needs to do what is best for his career.”
Afcon starts on 13 January, with the final on 11 February, and Onana could miss up to four Premier League matches for United depending on how far Cameroon progress at the finals.
United ‘don’t give you time’
No keeper has kept more clean sheets than Onana’s six in the Premier League this season, but he has made several high-profile mistakes since his £47.2m move in July, including errors against Galatasaray and Bayern Munich which contributed to United finishing bottom of their Champions League group.
As well as his shot-stopping attributes, Onana arrived from Inter Milan with a reputation for ball distribution and play progression which was expected to help the Reds change their style, only for familiar problems to deepen for manager Erik ten Hag during a first half of the season which many have seen as a regression.
The pressure on Onana has been increased by his tendency to pass with his feet and advance from his area at a club which is not used to having goalkeepers with those instincts, Djemba-Djemba believes.
“Everybody knows Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in the world,” added Djemba-Djemba, who joined United in 2003 and made 39 appearances for the club under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
“When you come to Manchester United, they don’t give you time.
“Only one or two goalkeepers for Manchester City have played like that. They have a coach like Pep Guardiola – he likes the keeper to evolve and play with their feet.
“At Manchester United, if you are a good goalkeeper with your hands, they will buy you.
“They don’t care if you don’t play with your feet.”
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City are one of seven clubs to have won at Old Trafford this season during a run Djemba-Djemba calls “very difficult” for Onana and Ten Hag.
“When I was there with [Ryan] Giggsy, Roy Keane, [Ruud] Van Nistelrooy, [Fabien] Barthez, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Diego Forlan, [Quinton] Fortune, [Darren] Fletcher, you could not beat [United] easily,” he said.
“Never. Now it is a new generation. The mentality has changed, it is not the same.
“Onana has been criticised because it’s a big team. Manchester United is like that.
“When the team is not good enough, as a goalkeeper, you need to be careful. You don’t need to take any risks.” – bbc sport
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-December 19, 2023 @ 19:59 GMT|
Tags: Andre Onana Barthez Diego Forlan Eric Djemba-Djemba. Gary Neville Rio Ferdinand
