In preaseason, Harry Maguire was first exposed to the fiery demeanor of André Onana. Christian Eriksen was having problems against Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas after receiving a pass from the center-back for Manchester United. Due to the error, Sébastien Haller got a chance. After Onana stopped the shot, he turned to confront Maguire, yelling at the England defender who was not a few yards away.

Later, former England and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher criticized Onana, calling the criticism “over the top,” but Man United manager Erik ten Hag took it very well. The team is certain that the tough nature exhibited by their new No. 1 that day—a rookie recruit who is expecting more from a senior player—will support him through the challenging start to life at Old Trafford.

Maguire is not the only player to suffer from Onana’s wrath; during Internazionale’s Champions League match against FC Porto the previous season, cameras captured him telling teammate Edin Dzeko to “shut up” before Hakan Calhanoglu attempted to defuse the situation by covering Onana’s mouth.

While Onana’s performances during Inter’s run to the Champions League final impressed United’s recruitment department, Ten Hag noted that Onana’s personality stood out from other goalkeepers on the list, such as David Raya and Diogo Costa, when the goalkeeper position was being discussed. (It was the same year before when Ten Hag had pushed to sign Casemiro and Lisandro Martínez.)

Onana’s arrival at Old Trafford for the summer tour of the United States was delayed due to the intricate intricacies of the agreement that took longer than anticipated. After a long day of travel, the crew dispatched to greet him was surprised by his bright smile and energetic entrance when he pulled into the team hotel in rural New Jersey from JFK airport in a minivan with heavily tinted windows.

Although Ten Hag and his staff believe they have made a wise choice in Onana as their new goalkeeper and that his character would help him handle life under scrutiny, Onana has had a challenging few months. After joining for £47.2 million from Inter, the 27-year-old has made a number of mistakes and come under heavy criticism, but he has remained a vocal member of the team in the dressing room with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes. He especially impressed his new teammates by owning up to his mistake in the 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in September.

In the dressing room, Onana apologized for allowing Leroy Sane’s feeble shot to wriggle into the net. After concluding his remarks, Ten Hag approached the club’s media team to inform them that it was his responsibility to speak with broadcasters in public. He also reminded the other players of Onana’s attitude of accepting responsibility for his error. After speaking with four TV teams in the Allianz Arena’s main interview room, Onana apologised sincerely each time before being taken out for further questions on the same subject.

The staff was more concerned about Onana’s recovery time from his error against Bayern than anything else after his performance. Coaches observed that after Sane’s score in the 28th minute, he was not back clapping or yelling instructions from behind the defense until the beginning of the second half, which was over 30 minutes later.