Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana may miss the opening game of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) due to an unforeseen complication. Onana had made an agreement to join the Cameroon squad for the AFCON campaign in Ivory Coast but had planned to arrive later than the rest of the team in order to participate in United’s matches against Wigan and Tottenham.

After starting in United’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Sunday, Onana immediately embarked on his journey to West Africa. However, his private jet reportedly faced difficulties as it was unable to take off from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Monday morning due to adverse weather conditions in Yamoussoukro, the capital city where Cameroon is scheduled to play Guinea.

According to reports, Onana is currently stranded approximately 150 miles away in Abidjan, with Yamoussoukro Airport surrounded by fog. It is speculated that he may attempt to reach the Charles Konan Banny Stadium, the venue for the match, by car, which would require a journey of around three hours.

As a result of these unforeseen circumstances, Onana’s availability for Cameroon’s opening game is now in doubt. It is believed that Onana had pushed to represent Manchester United against Tottenham and had delayed his call-up to the national team out of concern for potentially losing his position as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.

In the absence of Onana, it is expected that summer signing Altay Bayindir will assume the goalkeeper role. Bayindir, who joined Manchester United from Fenerbahce during the summer, is yet to make his debut for the club.

Onana, who made his debut for Cameroon in 2016 and also featured in AFCON 2021, played a crucial role in securing a third-place finish for his team in that tournament by making a crucial save during a penalty shootout.