Erik ten Hag confirms Andre Onana will be back for Wolverhampton Wanderers match

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has revealed that Andre Onana will be back in time for Thursday's Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 27-year-old played in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the league on January 14 before heading out to Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Onana's absence allowed Altay Bayindir to make his debut for Man United in Sunday's FA Cup clash with Newport County, which the Red Devils won 4-2 to advance to the fifth round of the competition.

Ten Hag praised Bayindir for his performance against the League Two outfit, but he is expected to drop back down to the bench for the league game with Wolves, with the Man United manager confirming that Onana will be available for the contest at Molineux.

"I think it was a composed debut [by Bayindir]," Ten Hag told reporters during his post-match press conference. "Some good saves, so very composed. I think, overall, he can be happy.

© Reuters

"I was pleased with his performance. Andre Onana will be back for Thursday. Maybe, for the first time as long as I was manager, I can pick a team from the squad that is probably the strongest here."

Onana has found it difficult to make his mark for Man United this season, conceding 47 times in his 30 appearances in all competitions, managing just nine clean sheets in the process.

There have already been questions surrounding the 27-year-old's long-term future at Old Trafford, and a recent report claimed that the club are eyeing Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak as a potential replacement.

Onana only made one appearance for Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations, which proved to be the 3-1 loss to Senegal on January 19.

© Reuters

The goalkeeper was an unused substitute against both Gambia and Nigeria, and he will now head back to Manchester to resume training with his club.

Man United have only won one of their last six Premier League matches, with the disappointing run of form seeing them drop down into eighth position in the table.

Ten Hag's side are 11 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, while they sit eight behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, with that spot in the division potentially also bringing Champions League football for next term.

Man United now have five league games in a row against Wolves, West Ham United, Aston Villa, Luton Town and Fulham before heading to either Bristol City or Nottingham Forest in the fifth round of the FA Cup.