Ten Hag sticks by Onana as AFCON ban looms

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said despite his errors Andre Onana remains his first choice keeper.
 Onana, cost Manchester United victory in Wednesday’s 3-3 Champions League draw, after conceding two needless goals. But according to ten Hag Onana based on stats, is the second best keeper in the Premier League. Onana is tied for most clean sheets in the Premier League this season with five. And Onana has also prevented 3.67 goals – the second most in the league. Only Luton Town’s Thomas Kaminski is ahead of him on 6.3 goals prevented.
 “If you analyse it well then you see he is the second-best goalkeeper in the Premier League based on stats, so his expected defending goals is the second best in the Premier League,” said ten Hag
“He’s doing well. Also he knows that in the Champions League he makes some mistakes, but all over you see the first five months he is doing particularly well.
“You have seen how he reacted to a bad performance like in Munich. At Burnley he was outstanding.
“He is a strong character, he has a personality and he will deal with it.”
Onana was a £47.2m summer signing from Inter Milan in the summer, replacing David de Gea, who left at the end of his contract.
But in addition to the mistakes in Turkey, he also made errors in the 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich at the start of the group phase.
Meanwhile, Onana could sit out  United games in January, if he refuses to play for Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations. Onana fears going to the AFCON will make him lose his number one spot to Altay Bayindir.
But FIFA rules may prevent him from playing for United for the length of the tournament anyway.
FIFA regulations state: “A player who has been called up by his association for one of its representative teams is, unless otherwise agreed by the relevant association, not entitled to play for the club with which he is registered during the period for which he has been released or should have been released… plus an additional period of five days.”