Harry Maguire has explained the reason why Manchester United put in such an uninspiring performance at St James’ Park yesterday.
The Red Devils scraped a 1-1 draw against the Premier League’s 19th-placed side. And without the heroics for David De Gea, United would have been travelling back to the North-West with their sixth loss of the campaign.
The Old Trafford side’s showing was so bad that manager, Ralf Rangnick, felt that his side had gained a point rather than lost two.
United fans had to endure a horrible performance, but maybe they’ll feel slighter better after hearing their captain’s excuse.
What has Harry Maguire said?
Speaking to reporters after the match, Maguire said: “No sixteen-day break in the middle of a football season is going to help you.
“The training ground was shut, and half the lads playing today are recovering from the virus. So, of course, it’s not going to help us. We’ve had people with symptoms and people without symptoms. It’s been a real mixed bag for everyone at the football club, and it’s been a tough time.”
Read: How Rafael Van Der Vaart became Harry Maguire’s biggest critic.
Some supporters may view this as a credible excuse while others may believe that this simply isn’t good enough.
Gary Neville criticises Maguire
United legend Gary Neville is one critic. In an astonishing rant, the Mancunian labelled the squad as ‘whingebags’ and took aim at Maguire in particular.
He complained: “There’s a leadership struggle going on. Harry Maguire is the captain, but he doesn’t feel like the captain.”
The England international has been making mistakes all season, and yesterday was no different. The pressure is now rapidly mounting on the struggling centre-back, and it’ll be interesting to see how long Maguire can hang on to the United armband.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
