Harry Maguire: “André Onana Really Did a Lot at Manchester United, Where He Needlessly Sent Shivers Down Our Spine With His Audacious Decisions”
When news broke that André Onana had left Manchester United on loan to Trabzonspor, the tributes, criticisms, and mixed emotions came flooding in. Few captured that complexity better than United captain Harry Maguire, who gave a candid reflection on the Cameroonian goalkeeper’s legacy at Old Trafford.
> “André really did a lot at Manchester United, where he needlessly sent shivers down our spine with his audacious decisions. Onana will be remembered by many fans, and not entirely for good things. However, we have to applaud him for helping us win the FA Cup in two years. He’ll be missed, both in good and bad moments.”
Maguire’s words resonate with the general mood across the fanbase: a conflicted farewell to a goalkeeper who never shied away from risk, who divided opinion, but who undeniably left a mark during his short, turbulent spell at Old Trafford.
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A Goalkeeper Who Polarized the Stands
From the very first match in a Manchester United shirt, Onana announced himself as a player of extreme confidence. Signed from Inter Milan in the summer of 2023 for £47.2 million, he was tasked with modernizing United’s play from the back, replacing long-serving David de Gea with a more progressive, ball-playing goalkeeper.
In some ways, he succeeded. His distribution, willingness to step out of his box, and sweeper-keeper instincts gave United new tactical options. In others, however, his boldness bordered on recklessness.
Maguire’s words about Onana “sending shivers down our spine” capture the essence of the fan experience: one moment Onana would thread a perfect pass to initiate a counterattack, the next he would nearly gift the opposition a goal with a misplaced dribble or risky clearance.
It was audacious. It was nerve-wracking. And it was often divisive.
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The Good Moments
To say Onana contributed nothing would be unfair. On the contrary, his time at United featured moments of brilliance that will not be forgotten.
Champions League nights: Against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray, even amid chaos, Onana produced remarkable saves that reminded everyone why he was considered one of Europe’s top shot-stoppers.
Penalty heroics: He saved crucial spot-kicks in cup ties, showing the reflexes and mental strength that had defined his Inter Milan run to the 2023 Champions League final.
The FA Cup triumphs: Perhaps the defining highlight of Onana’s tenure came in domestic cup competitions. Twice, he was between the sticks as United lifted the FA Cup, helping to secure silverware in back-to-back seasons. While others took the headlines — the goals of Rashford, the leadership of Bruno Fernandes, the defensive grit of Maguire himself — Onana played his part with commanding displays in semi-finals and finals.
It is here that Maguire’s words about applauding Onana ring true: regardless of his inconsistencies, he helped deliver trophies.
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The Bad Moments
Yet, there is no ignoring the other side of the story. Onana’s United career was also defined by high-profile blunders that fed frustration.
In the Champions League group stage, mistakes against Galatasaray and Copenhagen cost United dearly, contributing to their shock exit at the earliest stage.
In the Premier League, his lapses in concentration — flapping at crosses, misjudging passes, charging out rashly — gave pundits endless material. Each error seemed amplified by the spotlight of Old Trafford, where goalkeeping mistakes are rarely forgiven quickly.
His temperament sometimes came into question too. Animated gestures at defenders, shouting at teammates after his own mistakes, created the perception of tension rather than unity.
It was this inconsistency — flashes of world-class ability mixed with costly errors — that left fans conflicted.
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Maguire’s Perspective
Harry Maguire’s words carry weight because he lived through Onana’s highs and lows on the pitch. As captain and often as the defender closest to his goalkeeper, he experienced both the relief of Onana’s saves and the panic of his risky decisions.
The line about Onana “needlessly” sending shivers down spines is telling. It suggests that while United’s defenders understood the value of a proactive goalkeeper, they often felt exposed by his unnecessary risks. Trust between defenders and their keeper is foundational; Onana sometimes tested that trust to its limits.
Yet Maguire did not end on criticism. Instead, he balanced his honesty with recognition of Onana’s contributions, particularly in helping secure two FA Cups. This balance mirrors how most supporters now view the Cameroonian: frustrating, yes, but also occasionally brilliant and, in the end, a trophy-winner.
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The Legacy Question
How will André Onana ultimately be remembered at Manchester United? The answer is complicated.
For some fans, his time will be viewed as a mistake, another expensive transfer that failed to deliver consistent quality. For others, he will be remembered as a goalkeeper who embodied risk and bravery — sometimes to his own detriment, but always in pursuit of progress.
The FA Cup victories give him a place in United’s history, ensuring his name is not associated only with errors. At the same time, his failure to establish himself as a reliable Premier League presence will leave a lingering sense of what might have been.
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The Financial Angle
United’s decision to loan him out, saving approximately £3.7 million in wages, also adds to his narrative. He arrived with great expectations and a heavy price tag, but leaves temporarily as a financial footnote — part of the club’s broader efforts to cut costs under INEOS.
That pragmatic decision underscores how quickly football moves on. For all his highs and lows, Onana has become another casualty of Old Trafford’s relentless demand for results.
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He’ll Be Missed — For Good and Bad
The final part of Maguire’s quote sums up the strange truth of Onana’s tenure:
> “He’ll be missed, both in good and bad moments.”
It’s rare for a player to leave behind such a paradoxical legacy. Usually, players are remembered fondly or with disdain. Onana occupies both spaces simultaneously. He will be missed for the security he occasionally provided, for the moments of bravery, and for his role in lifting silverware. But he will also be missed as a source of theatre — the goalkeeper who made every back pass feel like a coin toss, every clearance a heart-in-mouth moment.
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Looking Ahead
With Onana now in Turkey, Manchester United turn to Altay Bayındır as their primary goalkeeper. For Maguire and the rest of the defence, this may mean a more conventional presence behind them, less audacious but perhaps more stable. Whether Bayındır can rise to the challenge remains to be seen.
As for Onana, his career is far from over. If he thrives at Trabzonspor, he could either return to United rejuvenated or earn a permanent move elsewhere. Either way, his chapter at Old Trafford is already etched in memory — not for one defining moment, but for the rollercoaster of contradictions he brought with him.
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Conclusion
Harry Maguire’s honest reflection on André Onana perfectly encapsulates the goalkeeper’s Manchester United career: thrilling, frustrating, memorable, and divisive. He was a player who “needlessly sent shivers down spines,” yet also one who lifted trophies and gave fans nights to celebrate.
In the end, Onana leaves United not as a legend, not as a flop, but as a paradox — a goalkeeper who will be remembered for both his audacity and his errors, for both the highs of FA Cup triumphs and the lows of costly mistakes.
Maguire is right: he will be missed, in all the complex, contradictory ways that only football can produce.
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