Andre Onana joined Turkish side Trabzonspor on loan last summer and it appears that the Cameroonian goalkeeper does not have a future at Old Trafford once that move comes to an end

Australia ramp up World Cup preparations with 1-0 victoryAjdin Hrustic has penalty saved after dour first half in SydneyChildhood fans of the venerable Fifa Series (making its debut in Sydney) will not remember the Socceroos 1-0 win over Cameroon as a classic of the genre. It will go down as a game decided when Jordy Bos’ quick wits in the 86th minute allowed him to seize upon a Paul Okon-Engstler pass that went through Ajdin Hrustić, and fire home, sparing the latter’s blushes for a penalty missed in the 70th minute.Maybe with the benefit of hindsight, it will be seen as the launching point for a successful World Cup campaign, with the win snapping a three-game losing run for Tony Popovic’s side that begun against the United States last October. Perhaps there will be something about how snazzy the new kits the Australians debuted looked in action, or that the fixture marked the starting debut of an 18-year-old Lucas Herrington – the youngest defender to do so since Brett Woods in 1981. Hopefully, it won’t be remembered for an injury to Connor Metcalfe, after the midfielder limped off just past the hour mark. Continue reading...

Updates as the Socceroos begin their farewell tour at Accor StadiumKick-off time in Sydney is 8.10pm AEDTAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailIndomitable Lions: Epassy (c, gk), Moungam, Kotto, Malone, Avom, Ambina, Namaso, Yongwa, Fosso, Kamdem, Kofane.Cameroon name a new-look side, as expected as they begin to rebuild with an eye to the future. Manchester United attacker Brian Mbeumo missed the trip to Australia after picking up a knock with his club side, leaving 19-year-old Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane as the player to watch. Continue reading...

We now know 42 of the 48 of the teams that will play next year, but for a host of teams the race goes on via playoffsAll nine of the automatic places have been filled by the nine group winners, with the four best runners-up – DR Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Nigeria – competing in November’s playoffs in Morocco. Nigeria beat Gabon 4-1 in the first semi-final, while Cameroon fell to a last-gasp 1-0 defeat by DR Congo in the second tie. DR Congo upset Nigeria after a gripping penalty shootout in the final, and go through to represent Africa in the intercontinental playoffs in March.EgyptMohamed Salah scored twice as Hossam Hassan’s side beat Djibouti 3-0 in Casablanca in October and made up for missing out on Qatar 2022 by reaching the finals with a game in hand. This will be Egypt’s fourth finals, even though they have yet to win a game. Bizarrely, the Pharaohs did qualify for the first World Cup, in 1930, but missed their boat from Marseille to South America after a storm delayed them. Continue reading...

Plus: swift ascents up the pyramid, Steve Palmer’s maverick set of shirts and an infamous 2004 Olympic penaltyMail us with your questions and answers“During a rather animated discussion at the pub recently, the topic of footballers ‘retiring from international football’ came up,” says Edd Crick. “We were reminiscing about the days when footballers simply stopped being picked for international games, so who was the first to come out and declare their retirement this way?”We assumed this was a fairly modern development, but it goes back at least as far as the 1950s. Let’s look at the leading answers in reverse chronological order, starting with one of the stars of Italia 90. “Roger Milla is arguably responsible for popularising the concept of international retirement (not to mention elaborate goal celebrations) by famously unretiring at the request of the Cameroon president Paul Biya to play in the 1990 World Cup,” writes Tom Reed. “Milla had formally retired from playing for Cameroon at a jubilee event following victory in the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations.” Continue reading...

Manchester United duo Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko have withdrawn from international duty with Cameroon and Slovenia