Young star plants seed of doubt when it comes to Maguire's future at Manchester United
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Updated 23/10/2020 at 09:10 GMT
After Axel Tuanzebe performed so well against Paris Saint-Germain, it has to be asked whether Manchester United are better off without Harry Maguire at all. United will be looking to bounce back and build on inspiration from their win in Europe this week. They face Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Harry Maguire heads home
Image credit: Getty Images
Manchester United managed to keep Paris Saint Germain at bay on Tuesday, securing a 2-1 win. Harry Maguire was unavailable for the game with injury, but Axel Tuanzebe successfully filling in for him raises an important question - do Manchester United actually play better without him?
The club signed Maguire on a six-year contract at the beginning of last season from Leicester City. One of the strengths of his game at Leicester was his ability to stray up the pitch to push the opposition back. But perhaps that’s more of a reflection of the players around him like Wes Morgan, Daniel Amartey and Jonny Evans. They provided the security to allow him the freedom to go forward.
But that part of his game hasn’t translated over to United, whose use of the player has been different. He’s more of a sitter and now the captain who’s expected to command and lead the back line.
His experience at Old Trafford mirrors his manager's - hardly on top of the world, but improving, steering the team from a dead-cert collision and keeping it on the road.
It was a tough start to the new season for Maguire, though, after he was arrested in Greece, which resulted in him being withdrawn from the England squad.
And a lot more public scrutiny came his way after a poor start to the season for the Red Devils, who have been leaking goals with mistakes. Then when he returned to the national shirt, he was sent off after being on the pitch for only half an hour, against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League.
One of the most damning analyses of Maguire's recent form came from Rio Ferdinand, who recorded 455 appearances for Manchester United, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League once - and knows what he’s talking about.
Talking about the club’s defensive woes he told Gary Lineker: “They’re not smelling danger when players are in a bit of bother or in a bit of trouble the opposition – it’s about stepping in and covering.”
When Lineker asked if that is not a pre-requisite for any defender, Ferdinand responded: “Yeah, but not all of them have got it.”
Ouch.
Using the ever-present slick technology, Ferdinand broke down Maguire's game with each tap of the screen bringing up an arrow or box - the errors became glaringly obvious.
It’s simply wrong to pile all of the blame on Maguire. He’s not the sole individual who's been questionable at the back for United. Eric Bailly dips in and out of the team, bringing an air of inconsistency, and Victor Lindelof has had a rocky season with unreliable performances too.
Chris Smalling’s departure to Roma this season left Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with few options at the back and the club did little during the transfer window. But the youngster who has slotted in to fill in for Maguire could provide a solution to their defensive issues - meaning the manager may have a hard decision to make.
Tuanzebe's performance against PSG was stunning - particularly bearing in mind he was playing his first game in 10 months and managed to stifle Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Former United forward Dimitar Berbatov has praised the young player, telling Betfair that Tuanzebe was “excellent in defence, for his age he showed so much maturity and strength He didn't look intimidated or afraid of the huge names he had to defend, and a game like this will give him confidence.
“He has made the case for himself that he should play more. It's only one game but he appears to have all the qualities of a great defender - speed and strength, along with a cool head.
I said in pre-season that United needed a centre back, but maybe all along Axel has been there, and he is a strong candidate to be first choice."
Youth player Teden Mendi is another option for United, who spent the first half of the season training with the first team. Getting minutes under his belt with the under-23 side he will no doubt be looking to graduate to the highest level in the future.
At the end of the day, Maguire is the first-choice captain, and most players have a dip in form - he is no different. An accumulation of unfortunate situations and the hyper-analysis of his performances have put him in the spotlight. It will be Solskjaer’s decision to make, but Tuanzebe does plant a seed of doubt that could threaten Maguire’s place in the starting eleven.
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