Harry Maguire insisted he would be happy to fight for his place at Manchester United despite Erik ten Hag not preferring to play him.
It’s been a few tough weeks for Harry Maguire after criticism of the defender took another ugly turn. The 30-year-old Manchester United star has experienced constant booing from his own fans and that of rivals’, especially in the last 18-24 months.
The media and pundits alike have also not left him alone, as he took the brunt of their criticisms for being selected by Gareth Southgate in his squad during the international break. One thing about the 30-year-old Manchester United star are his mistakes in many high-profile games, but so far, the defender has taken all sorts of vile criticisms to his chin.
Things got ugly during England’s friendly against Scotland, where the 30-year-old Manchester United star scored an unfortunate own goal. He had to endure the constant booing chants inside Hampden Park and some from his fans.
Southgate branded the criticism of Maguire as ‘ridiculous’ and a ‘joke’ as things have taken an ugly turn in the last few months whenever the defender appeared on the pitch. However, the 30-year-old claimed he was used to such things and suggested he always looks forward to the next challenge.
Southgate on Harry Maguire: “There has been ridiculous treatment of him for a long period of time — it’s a joke”. 🏴
“I’ve never known a player treated way he is by our own pundits. It’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen”, via @TimSpiers. pic.twitter.com/YuR7cEYi4S
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 12, 2023
The Sun ran many of Maguire’s quotes after the recent England game, where the 30-year-old spoke about the criticisms thrown at him. He also opened up about his future at Manchester United while insisting an agreement with West Ham could not be reached.
Maguire said, “I would not say I am a person who struggles with pressure mentally. “I have been through a lot in the last couple of years, and I was Manchester United captain for nearly four years. “It was a huge honour and you take a lot of responsibility and everything that comes with it — and that is a lot of bad as well as good.”
Maguire continued on his failed move to West Ham and his Manchester United future, “We just didn’t come to an agreement. “They were happy for me to stay, and I was happy to fight for my place.”
“I want to do that — and every time I train or play, I will give everything. I want to play games; I want to play football.
“The first four weeks were hard because it was one game a week and the manager didn’t select me. But we have lots of games coming up now and I am sure I will play lots of games.”
In truth, some criticisms directed at Maguire seem unwarranted and pointless at this stage. Imagine what 24 months of constant berating and booing does to a player, and many of the errors labelled as his are not the defender’s fault.
Maguire’s move to West Ham failed after not agreeing to terms with the London club. The 30-year-old’s inability to join the Hammers may have hampered Manchester United’s quest for a new defender. In any case, Erik ten Hag has not selected him regularly since the start of the 2022-23 season.
He has only played 23 minutes of football this season, which came against Arsenal after Maguire replaced Lisandro Martinez. The injury to Raphael Varane will likely open up a chance for the 30-year-old to play regularly, but only time will tell whether Ten Hag would select him.