Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 9:52 PM• Jeroen van Poppel

André Onana was accepted into favor with the first team of Ajax on Thursday, but that means, according to the General Newspaper not yet that the 25-year-old goalkeeper also comes under the bar. The newspaper states that there are good reasons to believe that Remko Pasveer retains the confidence of Erik ten Hag as the first goalkeeper.

On Thursday morning Ajax announced that Onana has again joined the group training of the A-selection. The Cameroonian has been training with Jong Ajax for some time and can return to action on 4 November due to the end of his doping suspension. The chance that Ten Hag will also immediately appeal to Onana is therefore, according to the General Newspaper small.

This is primarily related to Pasveer’s good performance. There were doubts about the 37-year-old goalkeeper at the start of the season after a few mediocre performances, but the routine excelled against Borussia Dortmund with some great saves against Erling Braut Haaland. Ajax was also kept going against PSV and sc Heerenveen by some reflexes from Pasveer, which gives Ten Hag no reason to change under the bar.

Second, there is a high probability that Onana will be called up to the African Cup, as the goalkeeper was Cameroon’s undisputed first goalkeeper before his suspension. The African country tournament will take place from January 9 to February 6, which means that Onana may have to miss three Eredivisie matches from Ajax. “Should Pasveer make way for a keeper who will leave the club first for a month and then for good?” General Newspaper also wonders, also referring to the expiring contract of Onana. According to Fabrizio Romano, the goalie will leave for Internazionale after this season on a free transfer.

A third argument for not throwing Onana directly to the lions are the doubts about his form. The goalkeeper has not played a game for nine months and the question is what effect that has had on Onana’s ‘mind and game’. However, Ten Hag did not seem to put any obstacles in the way of the keeper’s return on Thursday. “We should not be naive,” said the Ajax trainer. “André is a fantastic keeper who has meant a lot to Ajax and he is fit. It is important for Ajax that we have a wide and good selection. There is room for André in that.”