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Harry Maguire Thinks One Of His Teammate Is The Reason He Is Playing Badly And Got Benched
Maguire has been a figure of mockery for at least the past year, with the centre back blamed for many of the team’s failings last season.
His captaincy came into question, amidst a supposed power struggle with Cristiano Ronaldo, but overall his form was deemed not good enough for the team.
He started for Erik ten Hag, who kept him on as captain, at the beginning of this season but United hit rock bottom of the Premier League, with losses against Brighton and Brentford.
The England international was then surprisingly dropped from the starting line up, along with Ronaldo, for the game against Liverpool.
The decision worked, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez forming a brilliant partnership that saw them beat Jurgen Klopp’s side and remain undefeated in the three games since as well.
Whilst Maguire has kept his place in the latest England squad, much to the bemusement of some, his chances of getting back into United’s starting XI on a regular basis currently seem pretty slim.
According to ESPN, the former Leicester City defender thinks that the form of those around him was part of the reason he lost his own, and in particular is frustrated with David de Gea,
The report claims that the goalkeeper’s lack of communication and “reluctance to defend further away from his goal-line” were a major part of the defence being poor.
Whilst De Gea has often been a saviour for the team, due to some of his incredible serves, the Spaniard has had his own critics, especially due to his ability to play out from the back.
That came into question in the game against Brentford, with many questioning Ten Hag’s decision to play the tactic and if the keeper could play it.
However that hasn’t been an issue in recent weeks and his ability to communicate with Martinez in Spanish many have had something to do with it.
A source told the outlet that the England defender needed more pace around him and that he’d have been better in Manchester City’s defence.
“Harry needs pace around him, but he hasn’t had that,” the source close to the player told ESPN,
“If you put [Man City’s] Ruben Dias in the United defence and Harry in the City back-four, Dias would struggle and Harry would thrive.
“Harry hasn’t had a good 12 months, but he hasn’t been helped by those around him — coaches or players — so it’s inevitable that his confidence and form have suffered.”
Maguire may have some very good points when it comes to his complaints, however the team’s form without him suggests that they may be better off without the £80 million man starting.
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