Erik ten Hag agrees with Ralf Rangnick on Harry Maguire's Manchester United role.
Manchester United's captain appears to be in a bind, as his poor form from last season has carried over into this season, and big decisions about his role are being made two games in.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may be planning to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Ralf Rangnick and release club captain Harry Maguire.
The former Leciester City man has had a difficult time for the majority of his Red Devils career, with constant doubts about his ability at the highest level frequently met with error-prone displays. Things came to a head at the end of last season, and Rangnick made the decision to take Maguire out of the firing line for a few games.
It is now widely assumed that Ten Hag is considering doing the same, beginning with the visit of Liverpool to Old Trafford on Monday evening. Maguire has started both of United's games so far.
The 4-0 thrashing at Brentford on Saturday night kept United at the bottom of the Premier League table for the first time since August 1992, while Ten Hag became the first Red Devils manager in 100 years to lose his first two games in charge.
Maguire appeared in both games alongside Ten Hag's most expensive signing to date, £55 million-man Lisandro Martinez. While the Argentine's ability to keep up with the physicality of the Premier League has been questioned, given that he was a Ten Hag recruit, it appears unlikely that he will leave the team.
But something has to change, and it appears that the manager believes that'something' is Maguire. The Manchester Evening News report that Ten Hag is
Maguire was booed and jeered by his own fans during the club's pre-season tour of Australia. Ten Hag simply stated that the only way Maguire could "slow" the negativity was to play well.
""We heard Maguire, but you see, when you perform, it slows down," Ten Hag explained. "I believe the way we played impressed him and the team. I don't believe it's the [thing] to see if I understand it.
"It's about how we can make a difference. So it's the team and Harry himself on stage. That is all we are working on; that is our sole focus." Unfortunately for the defender, he has done little to quell the boos this season.
Ten Hag defied many critics by insisting that Maguire would remain club captain, but dropping himself before the end of August will undoubtedly undermine the defender's dressing room authority.
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