Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is the subject of intense criticism after a series of poor performances for the Reds, stretching back to the start of last season.
Maguire started the season alongside Lisandro Martinez but the England star was dropped after two games, with Raphael Varane starting the last four league games in his place.
Maguire is now facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford and his place in the England setup is also under threat despite being picked in Gareth Southgate’s final squad before this winter’s World Cup.
Nemanja Matic, the former United midfielder, has now defended Maguire, insisting that the treatment of his former team-mate is a ‘disaster’.
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“What people are doing to him, it is a disaster,” he told The Times.
“Everything has to have limits and some of these people writing on social media, they don’t have their own lives so they just have to write bad things about someone else.”
Matic shared a dressing-room with Maguire for three years at United and the pair also shared responsibilities off the pitch, with the former Serbian star in charge of fines whilst Maguire policed as captain.
SN’s verdict…
It goes without saying that Maguire’s performances over the last twelve months have been underwhelming but Matic makes a good point. The reaction has been over the top.
The obsession with inspecting every single touch he takes means that each mistake is overblown and turns into a catastrophe. Erik ten Hag has made it clear that he has a settled partnership at the heart of defence but Maguire is still the captain.
It can’t be forgotten that just over a year ago, United fans were dreading the prospect of playing the Europa League final without Maguire – such was their reliance on him. Just weeks later, he was named in the team of the tournament for that summer’s European Championship.
Go lower your paycheck to 25k a week and people won’t criticize your every touch on the ball! When you’ve got paid 250k a week there are some serious expectations and you better deliver and not complaining!