Andrea Onana has admitted that he has a lot to say about missing Cameroon’s AFCON opener due to a late exit from Manchester United, but he has chosen to ignore any criticism.
The goalkeeper played for United in their 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Sunday before taking a private jet to the Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations just hours later.
Despite hoping to play for Cameroon in their tournament opener against Guinea the next day, he was left on the bench as Fabrice Ondoa started in the 1-1 draw. Onana was upset when he found out that manager Rigobert Song had not chosen him to start, but he has now expressed his thoughts on the situation.
He told Canal Plus, “I have a lot to say, but I will not say it here because we are in competition. Let me continue to be criticised; I am used to it. I do what is good for my country. It’s like choosing between my father and my mother, but my country comes first; that’s why I’m here. We are together. We are here to win [the tournament].”
Onana has faced difficulties since his move from Inter Milan last summer. His performances have been criticised at times, and this recent incident only adds to his unfortunate past six months. However, if he manages to regain his starting position, he could be a valuable asset for Cameroon as they aim to win the AFCON for the first time since 2017.
Onana hopes to be the goalkeeper for Cameroon’s upcoming group stage match against Senegal on Friday, followed by a match against Gambia next Tuesday. They still have a good chance of advancing to the knockout stages of the competition, but they may need to defeat Senegal to achieve this.
