'A genuine mistake' - The human error which led to Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana's nine-month ban

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

After leaving Barcelona in 2015 in the pursuit of more minutes, Andre Onana's career was on the rise. Under Erik ten Hag, Onana had established himself as Ajax's first choice and he was proving his early promise at the Catalan giants was not a flash in the pan.

However, one mistake in October 2020 would cost him nearly a year of his career. After a 2-2 draw with Atalanta in the Champions League, Onana had been suffering with a headache and, instead of waiting until he got back to Ajax's De Toekomst training ground, he decided to take a paracetamol from his kitchen.

Following the session, the 'keeper undertook a routine drug doping assessment. In professional sport, these are often random and an athlete can be selected at any given moment. Want to join our MUFC Pro club for a totally ad-free version of the MEN’s Man United app packed with premium features? Click here ALSO READ: Ferdinand explains big change Onana will cause at United While football has not been plagued by drug doping like some other sports, UEFA still deems it to be essential in order to guarantee a fair playing field.

During a training camp with Cameroon a couple of days later, Onana was informed he had failed the test. Traces of Furosemide were found in Onana's sample, a banned substance according to UEFA's rules.