Getting off on the right foot with your new teammates is always ideal. It can build the foundation for success. At the same time, however, managers will be keen to see their new arrivals slot straight in, and become happy to give players an honest truth or two, should it be required.
This is the case for Andre Onana at Manchester United, too. Goalkeepers must always be commanding, it’s part of the job, so Erik ten Hag would have been hoping for his new number one to deliver some orders straight away. And, in fairness to Onana, he wasted no time in the Red Devils’ recent friendly defeat against Borussia Dortmund.
It came as little surprise that it was Harry Maguire who faced the goalkeeper’s wrath for the first time, with Onana seemingly scolding the struggling defender.
Andre Onana rips into Harry Maguire
As you can see from the video, Maguire was lost for words after Onana came charging towards him, ripping into the defender in ruthless fashion.
The moment came after the goalkeeper was forced to make an incredible save to deny Dortmund a third before the hour mark, having already found themselves 2-1 up. Maguire had played his part in a cheap turnover of possession as he gave the ball to Christian Eriksen who was already under pressure, allowing the opposition to win it and quickly spring into a counterattack.
Ten Hag’s side initially got off to the perfect start, finding the opening goal in the 24th minute, courtesy of Diogo Dalot’s excellent strike from outside the area.
Things quickly went downhill, though, with two goals in the space of two minutes from Donyell Malen flipping the game on its head.
Antony handed United a short reprieve, before substitute Youssoufa Moukoko found the winning goal for the Bundesliga side in the 71st minute.
Ten Hag will be left frustrated with the result, especially with the goals conceded as the Premier League season approaches.
Onana, meanwhile, proved that he’s not afraid to be honest with the defenders in front of him if he believes that they are not up to scratch.
How have Manchester United performed in pre-season?
Manchester United have had mixed results in pre-season. They got off to a solid start by beating rivals Leeds United 2-0, before going on to defeat Lyon 1-0, and then fellow Premier League side Arsenal 2-0.
A youthful United side then suffered a 3-1 defeat against Wrexham, before the first-team struggled against Real Madrid, losing 2-0. Making it three consecutive defeats, the Manchester club most recently lost 3-2 against Borussia Dortmund.
So, overall, they’ve won three and lost three in a pre-season that leaves their Premier League campaign a tough one to predict.
With their season getting underway on Monday, 14 August against Wolverhampton Wanderers, United will be hoping to finish their preparations with a flourish more than anything, as games against Lens and Athletic Bilbao come their way.
By the time the new season gets underway, it remains to be seen whether Onana will be forced to deal with the struggling Maguire, with the defender linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer.
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, West Ham United have seen a £20m bid rejected for Maguire, but are unlikely to push any further.
Fans reacted to Onana ripping into the defender in United’s Dortmund defeat, some of which you can see below:
