"We are in this together" - Andre Onana breaks silence on fuming at Manchester United teammate Harry Maguire during pre-season game
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has lifted the lid on his fury towards Harry Maguire during the club's pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund.
The Red Devils suffered a 3-2 defeat to Dortmund at the Allegiant Stadium in Nevada on Sunday (July 30) night. Diogo Dalot and Antony netted for Erik ten Hag's side, but goals from Donyell Malen (2) and Youssoufa Moukoko did the damage for BvB.
The game will mostly be remembered for an incident that occurred between Onana and Maguire in the second half. The Cameroonian goalkeeper berated the English defender after his mistake put United on the back foot.
Manchester United's new shot-stopper has played down the incident by insisting he demands a lot from all of his teammates. He 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."
Onana was asked specifically about his furious tirade at Maguire after he spared the former United captain's blushes. He responded:
"I try to talk to them a lot because I know he's a good player, he is one of the captains of the the team."
He continued by insisting that he has a good relationship with Maguire:
"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."
The Cameroonian concluded by insisting he not only demands a lot from his teammates but also from himself. He alluded to his eagerness to succeed as part of the team:
"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."
The 27-year-old made his second appearance since moving to Manchester United from Inter Milan for £47.2 million. He has quickly earned plaudits for his ball-playing abilities after replacing David de Gea.
Gabby Agbonlahor hits out at Manchester United's Onana after his incident with Maguire
Former Premier League striker Gabby Agbonlahor was not impressed by Onana's antics in blasting Maguire during the defeat. The talkSPORT pundit reckons the former Manchester United captain is an easy target:
“I don’t like that from Onana! Maguire’s an easy target. He did nothing wrong. You’re not running after Martinez!"
Fans were quick to point out that Lisandro Martinez wasn't on the pitch when the incident occurred. The Cameroon international is renowned for not only his composure on the ball but also his demanding attitude.
However, Maguire isn't having the best of times at present, with speculation growing over his future. Manchester United boss Ten Hag has admitted that he faces an uphill battle for a starting role now that he has been stripped of the captaincy.