Onana called ‘disgraceful’ for pre-season antics and accused by Carragher of ‘playing to endear himself to Man Utd fans’
ANDRE ONANA has been blasted for hitting out at Harry Maguire during Manchester United’s pre-season tour by Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher.
The goalkeeper joined Erik ten Hag’s side in a £47million transfer in July and quickly made his presence known among the squad.
AFPOnana screamed at Maguire during Man Utd’s pre-season match against Borussia Dortmund[/caption]
GettyCarragher has criticised the goalkeeper for ‘disgracefully’ hitting out[/caption]
In just his second game for the club – a pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund – he screamed at Maguire for a defensive mistake as the Red Devils fell to a 3-2 defeat.
After the match, Onana explained his actions and told MUTV: “I try to demand a lot from him because I know he is a good player.
“He’s one of the captains of the team. He’s big, he’s good with the ball so I will demand him a lot. He’s a great guy, I have a good relationship with him.”
The 27-year-old’s outburst received a mixed response from fans, with some praising him for being passionate.
However, others criticised him for being too harsh.
Carragher has since had his say on the incident, accusing Onana of “disgracefully” hitting out at Maguire as a way of endearing himself to Man Utd supporters.
In a column for The Telegraph, the Liverpool icon wrote: “Manchester United fans jeered Maguire during pre-season games in 2022 and 2023.
“One of the most distasteful incidents of all occurred during the friendly with Borussia Dortmund in July, when new signing Andre Onana started yelling at Maguire, in my view disgracefully playing to the gallery to endear himself to United fans.
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“I watched that in disbelief, but it said everything about what has gone wrong.
“Maguire was still the club captain then. He should have reacted furiously, put Onana in his box and demanded respect.
“Instead, he has the persona of someone whose confidence and authority is utterly broken.”
Maguire has fallen out of favour with Man Utd manager Ten Hag over the last year – so much so he’s no longer skipper.
He was heavily linked with a move to West Ham this summer, but talks broke down when he failed to agree terms.
The defender says he wants to fight for his place at Old Trafford, but he has been limited to just 23 minutes of Premier League football so far this season.
