The name Andre Onana is arguably the most famous of any other current Manchester United players amongst the club’s fans in Uganda.
United faithful stormed Mandela National Stadium, Namboole in large numbers to watch their favourite club’s number one as Cameroon drew goalless with Zimbabwe in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He was mobbed by the crowd at the exit before he was whisked away in a Toyota Premio to Entebbe Airport where he had to humbly request the waiting fans to let him go promising to return in October.
Upon his return to the United Kingdom, the United fans were looking forward to their next game to see how Onana would turn out following a disappointing series of performances before the international break.
With the love expressed to him by the Ugandan United fans, it may seem as though the 28-year-old left the Pearl of Africa with blessings.
Man United’s game was an early kickoff in the Premier League on Saturday away to St Mary’s Stadium to visit Southampton.
The visitors were on the receiving end of the game for half an hour and the Cameroonian had to save Cameron Archer’s penalty kick in the 33rd minute.
Onana’s Manchester broke the deadlock two minutes later through new signing in defender Matthijs de Ligt who scored his first goal for the club.
Marcus Rashford also put his name on the scoreboard in the 41st minute for his first goal since March and then later Alejandro Garnacho put the icing on the cake in the 96th minute.
The hosts finished the game with 10 men following the sending-off of Jack Stephens in the 79th minute.
Onana finished the game with a clean sheet, his second of the season but the first since the first game of the season against Fulham when United were 1-0 winners at Old Trafford.
He then conceded in two straight games when Manchester lost 2-1 and 3-0 at home and away to Brighton and Liverpool, respectively.
During the international break, he registered two clean sheets for the Indomitable Lions in a 1-0 win at home against Namibia and 0-0 against Zimbabwe who hosted the game in Uganda.
Erik Ten Hag’s charges will host Barnsley in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday while Onana’s next coming to Uganda is in October to face Kenya with Cameroon in the AFCON qualifiers.
