Onana Snubbed by Cameroon as Ex-Man Utd Keeper Left Out of AFCON Squad in Latest Blow to Turbulent Season

Andre Onana’s miserable season somehow nosedived further after the Cameroon goalkeeper was left out of his country’s Africa Cup of Nations squad, despite the Indomitable Lions naming four keepers for the tournament. The former Manchester United No.1, now on loan at Trabzonspor, has gone from Champions League finalist to international outcast in barely a year.

Cameroon’s 28-man list dropped on Monday, raising plenty of eyebrows when Onana’s name wasn’t there. Devis Epassy, Simon Omossola, Simon Ngapandouetnbu and Edouard Sombang all made the cut — but not Onana, who has 53 caps and was expected to start at AFCON when it kicks off on 21 December. Instead, he’ll be watching from Turkey.

The squad did include United forward Bryan Mbeumo and Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, while ex-Spurs winger Georges-Kevin Nkoudou also got the call. But the biggest shock came hours later, when Cameroon’s FA — led by Samuel Eto’o — sacked manager Marc Brys on the same day the squad was announced. David Pagou steps in just three weeks before their opener against Gabon, with Ivory Coast and Mozambique still to come in a tough group.

For Onana, it’s another grim chapter in a chaotic 2025-26 campaign. He lost his starting spot at Old Trafford early on after a hamstring injury in pre-season, then endured a horror Carabao Cup night against League Two Grimsby, where United tumbled out 12-11 on penalties after two costly Onana errors. By September he was shipped out on loan to Trabzonspor, with United bringing in Senne Lammens — who has since cemented himself as Rúben Amorim’s new No.1.

Amorim didn’t shy away from the reasons behind the keeper’s departure either. “Sometimes you can have all the quality in the world, but at this club the pressure is so hard on every detail,” he said. “We felt he needed a change… bad luck in moments, performances, it was hard on him and hard on us.” It was as honest as it gets: United needed a reset, and so did Onana.

The 29-year-old has managed three clean sheets in 10 matches for Trabzonspor and may feature in their Turkish Cup tie against Vanspor FK this week. United, meanwhile, turn to Lammens again when they host West Ham on Thursday, with Altay Bayindir now third-choice in the pecking order.

For Onana though, the AFCON snub stings. From Inter hero to United flop to Cameroon outcast — it’s been a brutal twelve months. And unless something changes fast, his rebuild looks a long, lonely road from here.