Harry Maguire was caught ball-watching for Ollie Watkins’ winner.
The Manchester United captain has a lot on his plate at the moment and we hope none of it affects his performances. We appreciate he nor any of his team-mates played the game today fully match fit and rustiness is to be expected.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spent big to bring Maguire to Old Trafford last summer, and I’m of the opinion he should spend big again to find a better defender to partner him. Lapses in concentration can be pointed out in so many goals we conceded last season and he’s prone to a mistake.
I know Saturday’s game was only a friendly — our only pre-season game — and players are bound to be rusty, but Maguire needs to wise up and quickly.
United start their Premier League campaign next season against Crystal Palace, who beat Southampton 1-0 at Selhurst Park in their season opener on Saturday.
Maguire must avoid ball-watching against the Eagles — as seen below against Villa (footage courtesy of MUTV):
Aston Villa [1] – 0 Manchester United – Watkins 15′ from r/reddevils
Watkins joined Villa last week from Brentford on a five-year deal.
The 24-year-old scored 26 goals as the Bees reached the Championship play-off final last season.
Ollie Watkins: Announced. ✅
Say hello to our new striker! 🙌#WatkinsAnnounced
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 9, 2020
The priority wasn’t coming away with a win. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer went to Villa Park doing what he set out to do — give his players minutes and come away without further injury setbacks.
They will be put through their paces between now and Saturday. Let’s get our season off to a winning start!
Read more: Solskjaer confirms Maguire will be Man United’s captain next season despite turbulent summer
