A few days ago, Harry Maguire tried to defend himself from the criticism of the football public on the Island. However, he did it with words, not deeds. On the field, it is only “buried” further. Gareth Southgate came to his defense last night after the match with Germany in which he was guilty of two conceded goals, for the umpteenth time, but the question is how many more excuses the England coach will have for the actions of the Manchester United defender.
The English media and the fans are not clear how Southgate still finds a place for Maguire in the starting line-up, next to Ben White, Mark Guehi and above all Fikai Tomori, who has been playing well in Milan for the last two seasons. Jamie Carragher is of the same opinion, who believes that the 52-year-old expert should think carefully about taking the United captain to Qatar.
“The criticism of his performance against Germany is valid and justified and Southgate will have to assess whether Maguire is mentally ready for the World Cup, able to put all his problems behind him. In the past, it’s something Maguire has struggled with. How can a manager make such a big call before the Iran game if Maguire isn’t playing for the club?” Carragher asked in a column for the Telegraph.
That is exactly the situation right now. After coming to the club, Eric Ten Haag gave him confidence, included him in the starting 11 for the first two games, but after the debacle in Brentford, he put him on the bench and gave him a chance in the Europa League. There is no confidence, it shows in every move of Maguire.
“My question for Maguire would be, ‘Do you still have that passion in you?’ Now he is a problem for England. When I watched Maguire in the last two games, I felt sorry for him. That is not good at all for an athlete. “Feeling sorry for him is not going to help him get back to the level he was at two years ago.”
As for his club career, the legendary Liverpool defender believes that Maguire should leave Manchester United as soon as possible.
“I think his time at the club is over. Last year I wrote how he fought for a career at Manchester United. This should be his last season at Old Trafford, he needs a new start”, concluded Carragher.
