After Manchester United’s match against Tottenham on Sunday week, Andre Onana will take off for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) straight away, thanks to Cameroon’s approval of the goalkeeper’s postponed tournament release.

Onana may play twice in a single day if chosen by his country because Cameroon is scheduled to play Guinea in the Ivory Coast on Monday, January 15—the day following United’s game against Spurs at Old Trafford.

In order for Onana to participate in the FA Cup third-round match against Wigan Athletic on Monday and the Premier League match against Tottenham at home six days later, United had been in negotiations with the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) to postpone Onana’s release.

After being returned home from the World Cup in Qatar in November 2022 due to a disagreement with Fecafoot president Samuel Eto’o, a former Barcelona striker, and coach Rigobert Song, Onana gave up playing football internationally. For £47.2 million, United acquired Onana from Inter Milan in July, little realizing that, six months later, the AFCON would forfeit him due to a shaky reconciliation between Cameroon and the goalie.

Erik ten Hag met with Jim Ratcliffe, the new minority shareholder of United, yesterday, and was pleased with the cordial discussions between the two clubs. It is believed that the Cameroon federation showed empathy for United’s predicament, which contributed to its agreement to Onana’s postponed release.

Onana, for his part, has been hesitant to travel to the AFCON because he believes it will negatively affect his already difficult first season with United in England.

Ten Hag has supported Onana unwaveringly in spite of a long list of mistakes and lackluster performances, but the goalie is worried that he may find it difficult to get back into the starting lineup after the tournament.

When United plays Aston Villa in the Premier League on February 11, the AFCON final is scheduled for that day. If United advances to the FA Cup fourth round at Wigan’s expense, Onana might miss as much as four games for his team. The remaining two league games Onana would miss are against Wolves and West Ham.