Harry Maguire performed well at the World Cup for England. This will only raise further questions as to why he struggles to replicate that form in a Manchester United shirt.
We could debate this until the cows come home, but we most note that criticism of Harry Maguire is a sign of people taking things too far because he has always performed at a high level in Gareth Southgate’s side.
Maguire admits he faces a lot more scrutiny when he plays for Manchester United – even though I’d argue United fans have been far more supportive than England, who booed him at Wembley earlier this year.
“At Manchester United I’m under a lot more scrutiny,” Maguire told The Times. “Everything I do gets analysed. Every pass I make gets analysed. Every goal we concede is a defender’s fault.”
However, Maguire is preparing to return from a happy place (England camp) to one where he has struggled: Old Trafford.
Ten Hag will hope that Maguire will gain confidence from his performances in Qatar because he is likely to get opportunities since Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez will stay another week in Qatar with France and Argentina.
That puts Maguire in contention to start against Nottingham Forest on December 27 — alongside his old partner in crime Victor Lindelof.
Prior to the friendly against Real Betis on Saturday, Ten Hag spoke to reporters about Maguire and praised the defender for his standard of performance at the World Cup.
Ten Hag stressed the importance of his skipper playing with confidence.
“He’s doing really well, a really good World Cup,” Ten Hag told The Athletic. “Really consistent and a good factor in the defensive line for England.”
Reporters followed up with a question to quiz Ten Hag on why he wasn’t playing him regularly. The manager responded with honesty: “That was nothing against him. I’m in a good position because they are consistent and stable, and our centre-halves are at a really high level.”
Ten Hag also revealed that he sent a message to Maguire during the World Cup finals.
He added: “I can only back him. I’ve been asked many times if he is good enough (to play for me) and it is clear he is good enough to play at the highest level. And then it is up to him to show that confidence on the pitch. He didn’t show that in all the games.
“When he is playing with his confidence like now, he is a massively important player for us and that is what everyone expects. That’s what Harry expects from himself. He has that high standard, he wants to play at the highest level, he wants to lead the defensive line, so it is up to him. I’m sure he has the potential to play in our style and fit into our system.
“He has, for England, good games almost all the time. He had a period in Manchester where he performed badly and then of course there are difficulties — but when he is confident in himself, he will put that on the pitch.
“When he is working hard, you will get that confidence and you are seeing that with the way he is playing for England. We want him to bring that back to Manchester United. I expect from him, the team knows what they expect from him. If he does that, he will be a great player for us.”
