Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Aston Villa - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 26, 2023 Manchester United's Andre Onana celebrates after Alejandro Garnacho scores their first goal REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo
YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cameroon coach Rigobert Song included goalkeeper Andre Onana but dropped striker Eric-Maxime Choupo Moting when he named their squad for next month’s African Cup of Nations finals on Thursday.
Onana, 27, had walked out on Cameroon after a row with Song at last year’s World Cup in Qatar but returned after a reconciliation with the coach to help Cameroon qualify for the Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast, which gets underway on Jan. 13.
Choupo Moting, who first debuted for the Indomitable Lions at the 2010 World Cup, paid a price for having missed Cameroon’s last three outings.
“Choupo Moting is a very good player. But my staff and I want the continuity of recent times. He is an important player, but we had to make a choice in line with what we have been doing for some time now,” Song told a press conference as he named his 27-man squad.
Cameroon will be without Brentford striker Bryan Mbeumo, who underwent surgery on his right ankle earlier this month.
Song surprised with the selection of 17-year-old Wilfried Nathan Doualla, who plays in the Cameroon league and has never been previously called-up.
It will be a fifth Cup of Nations finals appearance for captain Vincent Aboubakar.
Cameroon play Guinea on Jan. 15 in their opening Group C game before also meeting holders Senegal and Gambia.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Devis Epassy (Abha Club), Simon Ngapandouetnbu (Olympique de Marseille), Andre Onana (Manchester United), Fabrice Ondoa (Nimes)
Defenders: Malcom Bokele (Girondins Bordeaux), Jean-Charles Castelletto (Nantes), Oumar Gonzalez (Al Raed), Harold Moukoudi (AEK Athens), Tolo Nouhou (Seattle Sounders), Junior Tchamadeu (Stoke City), Enzo Tchato (Montpellier), Christopher Wooh (Stade Rennais), Darling Yongwa (Lorient)
Midfielders: Wilfried Nathan Doualla (Victoria United), Ben Elliott (Reading), Olivier Kemen (Kayserispor), Yvan Neyou (Leganes), Olivier Ntcham (Samsunspor), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli)
Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (Besiktas), Leonel Ateba (Dynamo Douala), Frank Magri (Toulouse), Faris Pemi Moumbagna (Bodo/Glimt), Francois-Regis Mughe (Olympique de Marseille), Clinton Njie (Sivasspor), Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (Damac), Karl Toko Ekambi (Abha Club).
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town)
