During a 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas, newly signed Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana showcased that he brings more than just ball-playing ability to Erik ten Hag's team.
The 27-year-old Cameroonian keeper, who came on as a substitute at half-time, is known for being vocal with his teammates. After a loose pass from Harry Maguire to Christian Eriksen resulted in Dortmund getting a chance, Onana expressed his frustration with Maguire in a furious rant. Despite denying Sebastian Haller's attempt, Onana quickly rushed from his goal to confront Maguire.
Former United captain Maguire remained composed during the confrontation. However, the same could not be said for fellow defender Brandon Williams, who got involved in a heated argument with Tom Heaton in a separate incident. Heaton started in goal as United's three-match tour of the United States ended in defeat in front of 50,857 spectators at the Allegiant Stadium.
Williams was held responsible for allowing Donyell Malen to score and equalize Diogo Dalot's impressive opening strike. However, he took offense when Heaton attributed Dortmund's second goal, which came just a minute later due to Victor Lindelof's mistake, to Williams being slow to react and playing Malen onside. Williams disagreed with Heaton's assessment and made his disagreement evident in strong language.
Antony scored the equalizer for Manchester United, but another defensive mistake, this time by Aaron Wan-Bissaka, gave possession to Dortmund near the penalty area, resulting in Youssoufa Moukoko netting the winning goal.
The match proved to be a humbling experience for 18-year-old Omari Forson. Despite delivering an impressive performance in his fourth pre-season appearance, the London-born player found himself engaged in a head-to-head confrontation with Karim Adeyemi.
Ten Hag was visibly concerned about the situation and even went onto the pitch. Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes expressed his discontent to the fourth official as Dortmund persisted in unsettling the young midfielder, clearly impacting his focus.
Amad Diallo was absent from the game due to a knee injury, which is still undergoing assessment. The Ivory Coast winger was seen limping as he exited the stadium.
Additionally, 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is expected to be sidelined for an extended period due to an ankle injury he suffered during the 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in Houston on Wednesday.
Eriksen is excited about Hojlund's impending arrival to the team. Manchester United started their pre-season with three consecutive victories, but they have now suffered two back-to-back defeats.
However, they still have two more matches to play before their Premier League campaign begins against Wolves on August 14. United is hopeful of finalizing the signing of Rasmus Hojlund, Eriksen's Denmark teammate, from Serie A club Atalanta. The potential deal could eventually amount to £72 million.
Eriksen spoke highly of Hojlund, mentioning that he is a talented player who has shown significant development over the past year, becoming a formidable number nine. While Eriksen admits he hasn't seen many of Hojlund's games at Atalanta, he believes the player's style fits well with the team's tactics.
During their time with the national team, Eriksen had the chance to speak with Hojlund, and he expressed both praise and constructive criticism about the young talent. Eriksen also highlighted the lack of media attention in Denmark, which might contribute to Hojlund's relative anonymity outside the country. Nevertheless, he believes that Hojlund's skills and potential make him a valuable addition to Manchester United.
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