CALAMITY GOALKEEPER Andre Onana could pull out of the African Cup of Nations to protect his Manchester United number one spot.
Onana was expected to be missing in the New Year having returned to the international fold with Cameroon.
But with Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayinider waiting in the wings having signed for the United in the summer, Onana fears he might lose his place long term.
Onana, 27, surprised United boss Erik Ten Hag by deciding to return to international football this season having retired after walking out of Cameroon’s World Cup camp a year ago.
He has since patched up his differences with coach Rigobert Song and made three appearances helping them to qualify for the AFCON Finals.
They run from January 13 to February 11 and could mean Onana missing up to six games.
But his club place is already under threat after a disastrous display in Istanbul when he was at fault for two goals in a 3-3 draw with Galatasaray.
Ominously for Onana, after the game Ten Hag made it clear that Bayindir will get his chance soon.
Ten Hag said: “We are pleased with the goalkeeping group. They have to push each other.
“We are very pleased with Altay who is doing very well, he just has to be patient.
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“If he works well and continues his progress, he will get his chance and will have to take it.”
He may get it even before the AFCON finals given Onana’s form as he let in two weak Hakim Ziyech free kicks as United twice surrendered a two-goal lead.
It has left their hopes of qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League hanging by a thread.
They now need to beat table toppers Bayern Munich in their final Group A game and hope that Galatasaray and Copenhagen draw to go through.
Ten Hag’s side have made a mess of a group they should have eased through.
They have scored nine goals away from home in three games but only earned one point on their travels and have four in all as they sit bottom of their group.
Much has been down to the erratic form of Onana who was brought in for £47.2million to replace long-standing number one David De Gea.
A number of players were unhappy to see De Gea go with the Spaniard still without a club since leaving Old Trafford.
Onana was supposedly brought in for his superior distribution skills with Ten Hag wanting to play the ball out from the back more.
The problem is he is nowhere near as good as De Gea at doing the main goalkeeper’s job – which is keeping the ball out of the back of the net.
