Man United are plotting their own downfall by exposing Maguire’s weaknesses

Harry Maguire should never have been picked to play in Manchester United’s 4-2 defeat to Leicester City back in October.

For a lot of fans, this was the game where the defender turned from hero to villain as his off-the-pace performance contributed to all of his former club’s goals.

Personally, I’m not too sure whether he should still be the captain of United, but without any outstanding candidates within the team bar maybe David de Gea, it’s hard to see him ever being stripped of the role.

While I’m unsure whether Maguire should still be United’s captain, I’m absolutely certain he should still be in the side.

Yes, he’s had a rough time of it of late, but whenever United have been at their best he’s been one of the best defenders in the league both in and out of possession.

Many fans even cited his absence from the Europa League final as the reason United lost against Villarreal.

But when United have been poor, Maguire has struggled like many others. And, of course, when a team is conceding goals, the defenders are the first to get the blame if the goalkeeper is still making saves – as De Gea has been this season.

The decision not to sign a defensive midfielder is a major contributing factor to Maguire’s weaknesses being exposed.

With his lack of pace and occasionally cumbersome movement, being forced to defend large areas of the pitch is obviously not going to play to Maguire’s strengths. If United had a world-class number six, Maguire would be far less likely to become exposed.

You don’t see this from any of the other top Premier League teams or even teams further down the league, highlighting even further United’s inability to secure a deal for Declan Rice over the summer.

Ralf Rangnick’s system has helped to cut down these problems by implementing a high press and having players try to defend across the field, but when the system breaks down the same problems that United suffered under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rear their ugly head.

In the last two games we’ve seen some perfect examples of this, with Maguire being blamed for the goals conceded against Newcastle and Burnley.

To begin with, both goals came from individual errors by his defensive partners – firstly Raphael Varane and then Eric Bailly.

In both instances, Maguire defended as any good defender would. Against Allan Saint-Maximin, Maguire positioned himself and put the Newcastle forward off balance, only for the Frenchman to produce a moment of magic as he curled the ball into the far corner despite being on his way down.

Similarly for Aaron Lennon’s goal on Thursday night, I believe Maguire 100% made the right decision.

With De Gea unlikely to sweep up behind the backline and plenty of space for Lennon to run into, Maguire was right not to commit and, in fact, he created again what was a difficult shot for Lennon to pull off, yet he too executed the finish brilliantly.

These two brief moments will overshadow two reasonably solid performances from Maguire, especially in the Newcastle game where Varane looked off the pace and had to be covered by his captain on multiple occasions.

United need to nail down Rangnick’s system and sign a defensive midfielder as soon as possible, and then maybe we will finally be able to appreciate Maguire for the talented defender he is.

What is your opinion on Harry Maguire’s performances this season? Follow our United On My Mind writer Casey Evans on Twitter and get involved in the discussion in the comment section below.