Jamie Carragher has alleged that Andre Onana intentionally targeted Harry Maguire to win favor with Manchester United fans.
Following David de Gea’s departure, Manchester United acquired Onana from Inter Milan as their new No. 1 goalkeeper. While Onana has received praise for his distribution skills, there has been criticism of his positioning, particularly in a match against Nottingham Forest.
In a pre-season game against Borussia Dortmund, Onana was seen shouting towards Harry Maguire after conceding a goal. Carragher’s suggestion is that this action was a calculated move to endear himself to the Manchester United fanbase. However, without more context or information, it’s difficult to determine Onana’s intentions with certainty.
In his column forThe Telegraph, Carragher 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.”
He continued: “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.”
Carragher then claimed that Maguire’s demise as United captain gained momentum after Cristiano Ronaldo returned in 2021.
The former Liverpool man said: “It was a similar story when Cristiano Ronaldo returned and reports emerged about power struggles in the United dressing room.
“That is when the undermining of Maguire gained momentum.”
Carragher also believes that Maguire should have left United for West Ham in the summer.
He added: “He missed the opportunity to start landing a few punches when he turned down West Ham in the summer.
“David Moyes would have been the perfect manager in an ideal team for Maguire’s attributes. I am sure he would have been a success there.”