A year after Manchester United made him the most expensive defender in history and placed him the captain's armband, Harry Maguire is lost. Lost in his game, where he was already lazy last year and this season is disastrous, lost in his life, after the summer fight that brought him to trial in Greece, and lost with his national team, after being sent off yesterday in just 31 minutes in which he received two yellow cards. The 87 million euros marked on the label of his shirt, as well as the responsibility of leading the defense of a historic Premier League club, seem to be burned into his head.
Even Southgate himself had to intervene yesterday saying that “there are people who are criticizing him in every possible way”, but is that Maguire, with what he does on and off the pitch, is making it very easy for his detractors. Critics like Rafael Van der Vaart, as the former Real Madrid and Tottenham player said he could “go to an amateur game on a Sunday and find three players who play at the same level as him.”
Very harsh criticisms, perhaps disproportionate, but that mark the downward line of a player in whom all hopes had been placed. He was expected to have an effect on the Red Devils like the one Van Dijk had at Liverpool, although the English defender has not come close to him this year. In fact, hardly anyone would pay for him now the 50 million euros at which Transfermarkt rates him.
Past laps on the pitch, where he has chained several terrible matches and where, for example, was portrayed in the 1-6 that Tottenham endorsed Manchester United at Old Trafford, Maguire needs a cool down period to prevent his final fall. Behind the Almost two-year prison sentence he received in Greece for assault and repeated attempts to bribe the police, a sentence that has already been appealed by the club, the ball is now in the court of Solskjaer, who must manage the player's times carefully so that his confidence is not broken by being separated… or for continuing to see his poor mood and sports exposed.
“For me, he is a top player and someone very important in everything we are doing. He is going through a time where he is being beaten a lot, but he is big enough to deal with it and to come out of it stronger.. He has our full support and in his club I am sure that too, “Southgate commented yesterday.” None of us would like to be in the center of that kind of summer, would we? He's in one of those moments where everything seems to be going against him, but he has to resist to turn things around. “