Andre Onana may need to miss some time due to an injury he sustained while playing for Cameroon during the international break.
This season, Manchester United has suffered greatly from injuries, and it constantly seems to pour in Manchester. Erik ten Hag may have used colorful language when he checked his phone to learn that Marcus Rashford and Andre Onana had been diagnosed with injuries on Friday. He has had to deal with an unprecedented injury crisis.
Happily, Rashford is not anticipated to have suffered a serious injury. During England’s match against Malta, he took a knock and was replaced in the second half of the match.
In regards to Rashford, Gareth Southgate stated, “I think he’s probably okay.” “Considering the nature of the collision, we simply believed it was an opportunity to introduce Cole to the game.” Though I haven’t evaluated him too much, I believe Marcus was fine when he came off.
While Southgate was unable to allay concerns, his remarks at the press conference did allay worries on Rashford. However, Onana may not find the news as comforting given that he had to leave the field while representing Cameroon due to an injury.
In Cameroon’s World Cup qualifying match against Mauritius, Onana was substituted after 81 minutes due to an apparent adductor injury, which may need him to miss some time. While on international duty, he will be evaluated; nevertheless, the length of his absence may vary from few weeks to several months, contingent on the gravity of the issue.
Onana has started every game for United this season and Ten Hag has persisted with him in the cup competitions, despite signing Altay Bayindir to be the back-up goalkeeper from Fenerbahce for £4.3million.
Bayindir was expected to play in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but he’s yet to make his debut and a Turkish reporter wanted to find out why he’s not been used in Ten Hag’s press conference before the Galatasaray game.
“We chose in the League Cup to play Andre because he [Bayindir] has to adapt to the England standard,” he explained. “That’s why we preferred Andre to play, but also we have to progress Altay, that’s clear.
“He’s definitely improving and making a great impression in training, so we’re really pleased with it. We are certain that the two goalkeepers we have in the squad can win the game for us.”
This season, there have been opportunities to play Bayindir, but they have been passed over. If Onana is sidelined for an extended length of time, Ten Hag may come to regret that decision as his backup ‘keeper may be required sooner rather than later.
Due to United’s reputation and the fact that Onana would be leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations, which is held in January and February of 2024, Bayindir decided to join with the team.
If Onana and Cameroon attend the competition, that’s still to be determined