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Explained: Why Andre Onana shout at Harry Maguire during Man United’s friendly date with Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas.
Andre Onana has given an explanation for why he yelled at Harry Maguire during the friendly match between Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund that was caught on camera.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper, who moved to Old Trafford for £48 million ($62 million) during the summer transfer window, lost no time in asserting himself as a member of a new defensive group.
In a 3-2 loss to Dortmund, Onana was seen yelling at Maguire at one point as the Red Devils’ back line was far too easily breached.
Even though people in front of him have been members of the club for a lot longer than he has, the 27-year-old makes no apologies for getting on their nerves.
Onana has told MUTV: “I demand a lot of my team-mates because also they demand a lot, they trust in me. They play a lot of balls back to me, so I have to give them confidence and I want my players to give them to me to give me confidence.
I demand [from] them a lot and I will demand from them a lot because they are great players. Now, for me, it’s a big honour to play with these defenders. With [Lisandro] Martinez, Harry they are doing great things. They are important players for the club. I’m very happy to be part of this team and playing with them is something great.”
Onana added on his fiery interaction with Maguire, who has been stripped of the captain’s armband for 2023-24 as Bruno Fernandes inherits those responsibilities: “I try to talk to them a lot because I know he’s a good player, he is one of the captains of the team. That’s big and he is good with the ball, so I would demand [from] him a lot and he’s a good, great guy.
I have a good relationship with him. I have to be and he has to be ready and I spoke with him because when I’m in the goal, I demand to everyone a lot. I will start with myself because I think we are in this together and mistakes will come.
We don’t have to be afraid to make mistakes because this is part of life and we learn from the mistakes. So we have to be very critical with ourselves. And if we want to win prizes, we have to demand a lot. And for me, it’s a big honour to be here and I’m very happy to work with these guys, Harry is a top guy and a fantastic player. We will move on.”
Onana has made two appearances for United during their preseason tour of the United States, losing to Real Madrid and Dortmund. The challenge is to fully integrate into the Red Devils lineup by the time they play Wolves on August 14 in the 2023–24 Premier League season opener.