Manchester United keeper Andre Onana has been called up to Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad, despite previous disagreements with the President of the Cameroon Football Federation, Samuel Eto, and his mid-tournament expulsion from the World Cup 2024 squad. Former Fenerbahce keeper Altay Bayindir was signed by Manchester United in the summer and is expected to take the struggling keeper’s spot in his absence.
Andre Onana Called Up for Cameroon’s AFCON Battle – Altay Bayindir to Start
Why Manchester United’s New No.1 Has Returned to International Football
Onana’s inclusion in Cameroon’s 27 man-squad for AFCON would mean that United will miss at least four matches, including games against Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa. Turkish keeper Altay Bayindir will have the chance to battle for the number one spot after Onana’s difficult start to life in the Premier League.
According to a report by The Athletic, Onana was believed to have been hesitant to represent his nation again after his banishment from World Cup 2024. The Cameroon international played in his country’s first game of the tournament against Switzerland, which ended in a 1-0 defeat and resulted in a feud with manager Rigobert Song, who believed he should take less risks with the ball.
The keeper was understood to have asked to be left out of the squad ahead of their 3-3 draw to Serbia after he found out he had been dropped for David Epassy. This led to the then-Inter Milan star being sent home by the football federation. Despite this, an emerging picture of strained relationships with Samuel Eto has emerged, although there are few details surrounding the origin of the dispute.
Onana has since played for Cameroon, with a recent World Cup 2026 qualifier against Mauritius marking his return to the side for the first time since the fallout in Qatar.
Former Barcelona & Chelsea star Eto is himself under serious scrutiny after reports revealed that police in Cameroon are investigating claims of match-fixing orchestrated by the former player. A recording allegedly of Eto and the President of Victoria United, Valentine Nkwain, appeared to show Eto promising to manipulate matches to promote the club from the second tier.
Samuel Eto and Valentine Nkwain deny that it is their voices on the recording, which was made public earlier this year.
Andre Onana’s Mistakes Could Start Battle with Altay Bayindir for Manchester United’s N0.1 Spot
25-year-old Altay Bayindir signed for the Red Devils in the summer as part of a £4.3 million bargain deal from Fenerbahce. The Turkish shot-stopper played 40 games last season and helped his side to victory in the Turkish Cup and a second-place finish in the Super Lig. With Andre Onana likely to take his place in the Cameroon squad, despite previous doubts, United’s second keeper could have several games to make his case for the number one spot.
His rival for the top position has endured many difficult moments in his first season since the £47 million move from Inter Milan. Even in their most recent comeback thriller against Aston Villa, in which they battled from 2-0 down to a 3-2 victory at Old Trafford, Onana conceded directly from John McGinn’s crossed free kick and was left watching hopelessly as the ball bounced through a crowd of players and into his net.
In their crucial Champions League visit to Galatasaray he had similar difficulties and conceded two lacklustre free kicks from Hakim Ziyech, spilling one into his own net. Despite these struggles, manager Erik ten Hag opted not to use Bayindir in domestic cup competitions, with the summer arrival yet to appear for United.
Altay Bayindir Strengths & Weaknesses
One of the six-foot-six shot-stopper’s biggest strengths is recognising danger and coming off of his line early. In the Turkish Super Lig 2022-23 season, Bayindir recorded 14 defensive actions according to Opta, this includes tackle attempts, interceptions and blocks or clearances. Of these 14, 10 took place outside of the box.
This willingness to recognise and intercept danger early could contribute to United successfully keeping a high line and pinning their opponents in their own half. Such a skill will be useful against sides that look to transition quickly into attack after soaking up pressure, such as two of their February opponents Wolves and West Ham.
When it comes to shot-stopping, his record last season was decent but not excellent, with 32 goals conceded from 90 shots on target, with an expected goal-on-target stat of 30.9 suggesting he very slightly underperformed, conceding 1.1 goals more than he perhaps should have from shots on target. However, this underperformance is so minor that it could have occurred by variance (ie, a higher quality of shots or situations than expected from data analysis).
One concern from Opta’s shot data is that he concedes an abnormally large number of goals to his bottom left when the shots are across or near the floor. He was beaten six times last season from a very similar spot, around a foot away from his left post, near the ground, and he only saved four similar efforts.
Could Distribution Save Andre Onana’s Spot?
A run of decent performances from the second keeper could put pressure on Ten Hag to drop Onana from the first team. However, one key skill could separate them and keep the starting spot safe for the Cameroon international. Distribution.
One of the key reasons that the Dutch manager pushed for a move for the then-Inter Milan keeper was his comfort on the ball and multi-range passing, key traits that David De Gea did not possess. Even in the high stakes of a Champions League final against Manchester City, Onana was in his element, completing 32 of 44 passes and being recognised by UEFA’s technical panel for his controlled and varied distribution.
Pep Guardiola called his opponent’s keeper on the night “incredible” and praised Inter’s ability to use him “in the positions of a holding midfielder”.
In stark contrast, Bayindir has not demonstrated comfort with the ball at his feet outside of his box. While the data may be partially influenced by tactical instructions from his coaches, the keeper only registered 19% of his open play touches outside of the box (5.2 per 90). 66% of his touches were in the centre of the box, with only 15% from the wider positions within the box, suggesting an aversion to helping his defenders play through the press in wide areas.
However, if he has been able to learn from his coaches and his rival Onana, then perhaps Bayindir can set out his stall for the number one spot and use his colleague’s absence to his advantage.
More must-reads: