Former Tottenham Hotspur and Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart appears to have something against Harry Maguire. The Manchester United skipper is performing well at the World Cup but his critics remain unconvinced and they’re unwilling to credit the defender on his improved form.
Rafael van der Vaart brutally dubbed Niklas Sule the German Harry Maguire after Germany crashed out of the World Cup on Thursday night.
Hansi Flick’s side did their job by beating Costa Rica, but Japan’s win over Spain proved costly for the four-time World Cup winners.
Speaking to Dutch TV, as quoted by the Daily Star, Van der Vaart said: “Germany have a problem in defence. Sule is not world-class. He is the German Harry Maguire.”
Not only has Maguire performed well at the World Cup, but England have been solid defensively – so it’s odd that the United defender has remained a joke figure. He was even mentioned during Ghanaian Parliamentary discussions this week.
There is no denying that Maguire has struggled at United and lost his place to Lisandro Martinez, but I don’t believe for one second that he is as bad as some pundits make out.
With a bit of research, we discovered that Van der Vaart has history for criticising Maguire.
Speaking to Ziggo Sport earlier this year, Van der Vaart summed up his feelings on Maguire (via The Sun): “I talk about Harry Maguire so much, so I try to avoid him. But he is really shit. I have said this so often.
“I can’t get away from the fact United have paid €90m for him. That’s how much he cost!
“Where did they look for him? You’ll find players like him at any amateur club in Holland.
“I think it is unbelievable. He is no top-class defender – and he demonstrates this every week.
“If you go out and sign players like him, I can understand why you end up having financial problems.”