Goalkeeper Andre Onana finds himself at a crossroads heading into 2024 after a tumultuous twelve months between Inter Milan and Man United.
Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, highlight the ups and downs that the 27-year-old has gone through in 2023.
At the start of 2023, Onana was just regaining some stability at Inter after a chaotic World Cup ordeal.
The former Ajax goalkeeper had started out as Cameroon’s first-choice keeper in Qatar.
But disagreements behind the scenes meant that Onana ended up leaving the training camp before the group stage had even finished.
Cameroon coach Rigobert Song had insisted on Onana playing as a more traditional goalkeeper. Meanwhile, the player himself wanted to act as a more expansive influence in possession.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi had been using the Cameroonian’s technical ability, passing range, and fearlessness with the ball at his feet as a key cog in Inter’s buildup phase.
But Cameroonian coach Song insisted that this was too risky.
This led to a fallout between the pair. Onana returned to Inter, where over the next six months he put that ordeal behind him in style.
Up-&-Down 2023 For Andre Onana Between Onana & Man United
Arguably no player was more important to Inter in their run to the Champions League final last season than Onana.
The 27-year-old produced his best saves time and time again to help the Nerazzurri keep a string of clean sheets along the way to the final against Manchester City.
Then in that final, Onana shone. Even in defeat, it was a hugely individually impressive performance from the Cameroonian.
And that run of form over the second half of last season earned Onana a big money move to Manchester United.
And the expectations were, of course, high for Onana at Old Trafford.
But it’s been a much different first half to this season in England than it had been a second half to the last one.
Onana has made a number of high-profile errors. Several of these have come in the very competition where the Cameroonian shone brightest last time around – the Champions League.
And whilst the 27-year-old has shown the passing ability that United signed him for in flashes, the team around him has been too dysfunctional for him to find the same kind of rhythm he had at Inter.
It is still, relatively speaking, early for Onana at United. The Cameroonian is certainly capable of finding confidence and form, and becoming a top-level keeper again.
But there is no certainty that will happen.
In the meantime, there are significance doubts regarding whether or not Onana will even be part of the Cameroon squad at the upcoming African Cup of Nations.
The Indomitable Lions have called the ex-Inter keeper up.
But there remains a big rift between Onana and Cameroonian FA President Samuel Eto’o.
So Onana finds himself in a strangely similar position at the start of 2024 as he had when 2023 began.
The 27-year-old has spent the past twelve months proving himself at the highest level. And then coming right back down to earth as the doubts have crept in again.
Now he’ll have to do it all over again.
