With David De Gea now officially out of the picture, the Manchester United team is currently out of options to wear the No. 1 jersey. Manager Erik Ten Hag has been in pursuit of Inter Milan’s Champions League finalist goalkeeper Andre Onana for quite some time now.
The Red Devils are interested in the Cameroonian because of his impressive first season with Inter. He started in the UEFA Champions League final last month in Istanbul, where Manchester City defeated Inter despite the Cameroonian playing brilliantly.
However, Onana would not be the player he is today if he had not taken a stand in the face of a nearly year-long suspension due to a doping ban.
UEFA banned Andre Onana for 12 months initially
The ban came following an incident that took place during Onana’s days at Ajax. As he tried to recover from a painful headache in February 2021, he made the mistake of taking Lasimac, a diuretic containing Furosemide. UEFA immediately banned him for an entire year.
The pill that Onana took, furosemide, is a banned substance and was originally prescribed to his wife after she gave birth. His explanation, that it was just a simple mix-up of two packets and pills that looked extremely similar, was accepted by UEFA, however, they refused to overturn the ban.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) agreed that “no significant fault” existed, but they still reduced Onana’s suspension by only three months. The goalkeeper was banned from all football-related activity for nine months, including training and celebrating with his Ajax teammates despite playing in the majority of their games.
André Onana opens up after returning from his doping ban in February 2021 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/0wir1UDvOW
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 30, 2021
During his hiatus from football, Onana told the Guardian, “You can not even use the African Nations as motivation, a target, because logic says you will not get there. Football turns its back.”
“I was just trying to survive, come back better. Try to always see the positive side. But sometimes you can’t. As a goalkeeper it’s difficult: you go, someone else plays.”
“There are moments you think about giving in. I was lucky: I have good people. If that happens, and you’re alone, you’re going to give up. You won’t have the will to go through it.”
Onana made his name in Ajax under current United boss Ten Hag
Before the Cameroonian international moved to Inter and helped them reach the Champions League final last season, Onana was the goalkeeper for Ten Hag as they advanced to the semi-finals of the same tournament.
The 27-year-old spent seven and a half years with the Amsterdam-based club, where he made 214 appearances. He won three Erdevisie titles, two Dutch Cups, and two Dutch Supercups with Ajax.
Despite a willingness to work together, the deal has yet to advance far enough for the Italian club to get the £51.5 million they want for their goalkeeper.
Next steps for André Onana deal 🔴🇨🇲
◉ New direct contacts between Inter and Man United over the weekend;
◉ Official final bid next week to be accepted;
◉ Clubs hope to have documents ready around Weds/Thurs;
◉ Onana already agreed terms with Man Utd.
Matter of days 🏁 pic.twitter.com/jd0lDV291G
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 8, 2023
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