African players' impact at Man United as Onana joins club

Andre Onana on Thursday completed his move to Manchester United from Inter Milan in a deal that could rise to £47.2 million

The Cameroonian shot-stopper is expected to serve as a replacement for David De Gea who left the club after the expiration of his contract having served as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper for the past 12 years.

As Onana joins the Red Devils, he becomes the latest addition to a growing list of African footballers who have graced the famous red jersey.

Let’s take a look.

Name: Quinton Fortune

Nationality: South Africa

Position: Midfielder

Having previously featured in the Spanish La Liga for RCD Mallorca and Atletico Madrid, Fortune joined Manchester United in August 1999 as a dynamic midfielder who could also feature in various positions from defence to attack.

He formed part of the Manchester United sides that won three consecutive Premier League titles from 2000 to 2003 but only became an integral player during the 2002/03 season where he succeeded in playing enough matches to earn the winning medal.

He also helped Bafana Bafana to reach the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 1998.

In all competitions, Quinton Fortune appeared in 127 matches for the Red Devils and scored 10 goals while providing six assists.

Name: Eric Djemba-Djemba 

Nationality: Cameroon

Position: Midfielder

Djemba-Djemba began his Manchester United career on a good note as he made his debut in a match the Red Devils beat Arsenal on penalties to clinch the Community Shield in 2003 having joined from Lens.

Prior to his big move to Alex Ferguson’s side, Djemba-Djemba was an African champion with Cameroon the previous year.

However, he was unable to earn a regular starting spot due to the availability of Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher and other top-notch midfielders.

He made a total of 39 appearances and contributed to four goals, two of them which were assists before departing the club to join Aston Villa during the 2004/05 season.

Name: Mateus Alberto Contreiras Gonçalves (Manucho)

Nationality: Angola

Position: Forward

Despite his commendable exploits with Angola, Manucho had a spell to forget at Manchester United.

Having helped the Palancas Negras make their first and only appearance at the World Cup, he was invited for a trial which he impressed allowing him to earn a three-year deal in what was expected to be an elevation in his career.

He was however loaned to Panathinaikos but was still not able to earn regular playing time given the calibre of players he had to rub shoulders with for an attacking spot.

Manucho had to battle Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov for similar positions which he was unsuccessful prompting him to opt for another challenge.

After another loan spell with Hull City, he finally left the club to join Real Valladolid ahead of the 2009/10 season.

He bounced back on the international scene by scoring three goals to win the 2012 AFCON Golden Boot award.

Manucho made only three appearances with no goals for Manchester United.

Name: Mame Biram Diouf

Nationality: Senegal

Position: Forward

Following his terrific form for Molde in Norway where he scored 45 goals in 86 games, Manchester United succeeded in acquiring the services of Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf in 2009.

He, however, had to wait until the second half of the season to make his debut.

He got the nod to feature in the next game where he scored his first and only goal for Manchester United.

After seven appearances he spent the following season on loan at Blackburn Rovers, where he scored six goals in 29 appearances and was sold to Hannover after.

He returned to England spending six years with Stoke City and left in 2020 to join Turkish side Hatayaspor.

Name: Wilfried Zaha

Nationality: Ivory Coast

Position: Forward

The Ivorian was touted as one of the exciting prospects after joining Manchester United at the age of 20 from Crystal Palace, a side he helped in regaining top-flight status eight years after demotion.

Having joined in 2013, Zaha only made four appearances and contributed to no goals at the club.

He had to embark on a loan spell at Cardiff City before finally returning to Palace where he would eventually become an important player for many years.

Name: Eric Bailly

Nationality: Ivory Coast

Position: Defender

After winning the AFCON title with Ivory Coast in 2015, Eric Bailly caught the attention of many but it was Manchester United who won the race for his services from Villareal.

The defender has been at the club for the last seven seasons and has been through torrid times despite a few successes as well.

Bailly was instrumental in the team’s UEFA Europa League triumph in the 2016/17 season.

However, after suffering injuries between 2019 and 2020 he has been unable to earn regular playing time at the club.

He has made a total of 113 appearances and still has one more year on his contract despite not joining the team for their pre-season tour in the United States ahead of the new season.

Name: Odion Ighalo 

Nationality: Nigeria

Position: Forward

After winning the Golden Boot Award in the 2019 AFCON, Ighalo joined Manchester United the following year on an initial six-month loan from the Chinese Super League and made an instantaneous impact.

He became the first player in 95 years to find the net in each of his first four starts for the club.

He scored five goals for the club in 23 matches, including a Goal-of-the-Month winner against LASK, and stayed until January 2021 before joining Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab.

Name: Amad Diallo

Nationality: Ivory Coast

Position: Midfielder

He joined in October 2020 from Atalanta as a teenager and is still expected to develop to become a star for the Red Devils.

He has had two loan stints with Rangers and Sunderland as his mother club hopes to see the best in him in subsequent seasons.

While playing five times for the U-21s he has already made nine appearances for the first which appears to be positive given his age and a couple more years left on his contract.

He has already won four caps for Ivory Coast and is expected to play more in the near future.

Name: Hannibal Mejbri

Nationality: Tunisia

Position: Midfielder

The youngster is still a Manchester United player having joined from AS Monaco’s U-17 in 2019.

The young French-born Tunisia international has only managed three appearances and is expected to decide his future this summer.

He has however been a great addition to the youth teams of the club playing for the U-18s, U-21s and U-23s.

Mejbri spent last season at Birmingham City in the Championship and made 41 appearances scoring once and assisting six more.

Fans and keen followers of African footballers therefore would anticipate how it pans out for Andre Onana who has grown to be a motivation to many young talents after overcoming suspensions and controversies in his career.