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Andre Onana has been placed on the bench for Cameroon’s group match in the Africa Cup of Nations against Gambia.
The Manchester United goalkeeper missed his country’s opening match against Guinea after suffering flight problems following Manchester United’s match against Tottenham on January 14.
He did start their second match, a 3-1 defeat to Group C leaders and defending champions Senegal.
But as previously predicted by Mail Sport, Cameroon have opted to bring back Fabrice Ondoa for their final group match against Gambia.
The Indomitable Lions are third in their group and need a win against Gambia – and need Senegal to beat second-placed Guinea – to automatically qualify from their group.
Andre Onana has been placed on the bench for Cameroon’s crucial match against Gambia
Onana (right) returned to the starting line-up against Senegal, but immediately dropped out for their group decider
Either way, a win would still give them a great chance of qualifying as one of the top four third-placed sides.
But if they are held to a draw or suffer defeat, Onana could return to Old Trafford sooner than the Red Devils expected.
United’s number 2 goalkeeper Altay Bayindir will be hoping Cameroon qualify to give themselves a longer chance to prove their qualities in Onana’s absence.
Onana has had a difficult relationship with Cameroon, starting with the 2022 World Cup when he was left out of the 3-3 draw against Serbia for ‘disciplinary reasons’.
The goalkeeper subsequently retired from international duty after a disagreement with the club
Onana, right, was involved in a conversation with ex-Senegal star El Hadji Diouf after being left out of Cameroon’s squad for their opening match of the tournament
Fabrice Ondoa – who plays his club football in the French third level – returns to the starting line-up for Onana
He returned to play for Cameroon in September and was called up to their AFCON squad, despite some uncertainty over whether he would be included.
Ondoa plays his club football for Nîmes, which is in the third tier of French football.