- Former Liverpool striker El Hadji Diouf believes former Cameroon head coach Rigobert Song disrespected Andre Onana at the Africa Cup of Nations.
There was controversy surrounding Onana at the beginning of the tournament after he was late joining up with his Cameroon teammates in January after playing in United’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
Onana was going to AFCON to represent his country following a decision to reserve his retirement from international football.
Cameroon kicked off their AFCON campaign less than 24 hours after the full-time whistle and Onana did everything he could to make it in time by taking a private flight to the Ivory Coast. He sadly encountered weather delays – but he did arrive at the stadium hours before kick-off, only to be left out of Rigobert Song’s team.
Onana played in the 3-1 defeat to Senegal but was benched for the final group win over The Gambia, as well as the knockout defeat to Nigeria.
Song has since been dismissed from his role in the Cameroon national team setup.
However, former Liverpool striker and Senegal international El Hadji Diouf has slammed Song for his treatment of Onana, accusing him of disrespecting United’s first-choice keeper.
Diouf told Canal+, as quoted on Afrique Sports that: “Andre Onana is someone I respect a lot and I congratulate him for what he does and his commitment to his team.
“How can you have a goalkeeper of Onana’s calibre, an immense talent who plays for Manchester United and not play him in a round of 16 game? For me, it’s a lack of respect and I were a player, I wouldn’t agree with that.”
Onana will hope for a better future in the Cameroon team, but his priority must be on becoming a successful goalkeeper at United. His form has improved since returning from AFCON and his tally of eight Premier League clean sheets is something I want to see him build on for the remainder of the season.
The next test for Onana will be keeping Liverpool out in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final tie.
