Erik ten Hag: 'Manchester United will cope with Onana absence'

When the former Inter Milan goalkeeper arrived at Old Trafford in the summer transfer window, he had been out of the national team picture since a premature exit from the 2022 World Cup.

Due to a falling-out with head coach Rigobert Song, Onana announced his retirement from international duty, but he has since reversed his decision and is due to head off to AFCON in January.

It has been claimed that the 27-year-old is concerned about losing his place in the Red Devils' starting XI during the tournament, having flattered to deceive since ending his brief stint at San Siro.

Nevertheless, Onana will have no choice but to represent his country if he is summoned due to FIFA rules, meaning that he could be away from January 13 to February 11 depending on how far Cameroon progress.

Backup goalkeeper Altay Bayindir - who is yet to make his Man United debut since also joining in the summer - would be expected to step in for Onana during AFCON, while Tom Heaton is an experienced alternative.

Thirty-seven-year-old Heaton is also still waiting for his first competitive minutes of the new term, but speaking to reporters, Ten Hag expressed confidence in the abilities of his second and third-choice keepers.

"When he (Onana) goes there, we have a strong group of keepers with Bayindir and Tom Heaton so we are comfortable," the Dutchman responded when asked how his side would fare without Onana.

"If they call him up, you know the regulations. Of course, we hope Andre is available as much as possible, but if not we have two good keepers who can replace him."

Onana reunited with former Ajax boss Ten Hag on the back of picking up a Champions League runners-up medal with Ajax, but the Cameroon international has often been the target of criticism and ridicule since joining the Red Devils.

From his first 26 matches for the club, Onana has recorded eight clean sheets while shipping 41 goals, 15 of which came during the Red Devils' doomed Champions League group-stage campaign.

The former Inter number one conceded second-half strikes to Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus as the Red Devils went down 2-0 to West Ham United on Saturday, their third Premier League game on the spin without a win or goal.

Sofyan Amrabat and Hannibal Mejbri were both unused substitutes at the London Stadium, but Man United could also lose the pair - who represent Morocco and Tunisia respectively - to AFCON call-ups.

In addition, the Democratic Republic of Congo have supposedly been contemplating a call-up for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has never made a senior appearance for England and would consider such an invitation.

Man United have two full days to recover from Saturday's loss before a Boxing Day clash with surprise title challengers Aston Villa at Old Trafford.