Manchester United icon Nemanja Vidic has offered some hard-hitting advice to Harry Maguire in an attempt to get the defender back to his best.
‘The Red Devils’ are currently enduring their worst season since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. They currently stand in seventh place with little to no signs of improvement. And after a loss against a relegation-battling Everton, the patience of the fans is wearing thin.
At the beginning of the campaign, fans used Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a scapegoat. They blamed his lack of experience at the top level for their side’s substandard performances. But Ralf Rangnick has also struggled to get the squad firing on all cylinders. Now, supporters have finally begun holding the players accountable.
And their main target is none other than their captain, Maguire. The centre-back has struggled to find any sort of form in this campaign. His defending has looked sloppy, he’s lacked recovery pace, and his confidence is nonexistent.
Even when he doesn’t play poorly, bad luck seems to befall him. In United’s game against ‘The Toffees,’ Anthony Gordon’s thunderbolt deflected off Maguire and left David De Gea helpless. Regardless of whether the criticism aimed at him is harsh or not, the England international can’t escape the negative headlines.
Fans and pundits won’t stop criticising Harry Maguire
Despite his poor form throughout this season, Maguire still possesses a high level of skill. So it’s confusing why his own country would turn against him. The fans booed him during an England game when his name was read out on the tannoy. This will have undoubtedly damaged the 29-year-old’s confidence, who at this stage needs the supporters to rally around him, not push his spirit further to the ground.
To make matters worse, fellow players have started taking shots. During a live stream, Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies laid into the Brit. He revealed that he’s in disbelief that Maguire is captaining United over Ronaldo. The full-back even referred to the player as ‘what’shisname’.
But unlike everybody else, one footballing legend has come to Maguire’s aid with the goal of helping him recover from this negative spell.
Read: Alphonso Davies spontaneously criticises Harry Maguire in live stream.
Nemanja Vidic offers tough love to Harry Maguire
Like most footballers, Vidic has had low moments in his career. But through his rugged determination, he always recovered. Now he’s trying to help Maguire overcome his demons and return to form. In an interview with The Athletic, he suggested that the United star take a break from playing on the big occasions.
He said: “Every player has a problem with form at some time in his career. I did, and it’s clear that Maguire is not at his best this season. I think you can do a few things, and one of them is not to play every match as you try to find form again and get confidence.
“A coach could play him in easier games, not that there are many in the Premier League, and take him out for harder matches.
“The player needs to feel powerful and strong on the pitch again, not as it is now where he feels that it’s not happening for him. It’s difficult to play well when you’re under so much pressure because people are waiting for you to make a mistake. You’re asking me this, and I’m replying as a coach.
The Serbian powerhouse is undeniably one of the greatest centre-backs in Premier League history. What he doesn’t know about defending isn’t worth knowing. Maguire and indeed Rangnick would be wise to give his theory a try.
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