Harry Maguire’s camp have blamed Manchester United’s ‘players and coaches’ for the defender’s poor form.
Maguire has been criticised following an extended period of poor performances for the Red Devils, with the club captain having lost his place in the side this season.
The England international has featured just three times so far this season and has ended on the losing side on each occasion. United have shown an improvement in form in recent weeks, with the success of Erik ten Hag’s team built on a centre-back partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
According to the ESPN, a source from Maguire’s camp has blamed a number of factors for his form, including a lack of communication between the defender and goalkeeper David de Gea, who was criticised for his reluctance to come off his line.
The comments are unlikely to be well-received at Old Trafford. Maguire has already been criticised for a perceived lack of leadership and an attempt to shift blame – whether from the defender himself or those in his camp – will do little to improve his dwindling popularity.
The source was quoted as saying: “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.”
There was also criticism about a lack of pace around the centre-back, who has performed better for England when in a system of three central defenders with speed alongside him.
“Harry needs pace around him, but he hasn’t had that,” the source continued. “If you put Ruben Dias in the United defence and Harry in the City back-four, Dias would struggle and Harry would thrive.”
