Maguire: I’m sure I’ll play a lot now, we have a lot of games to play. Criticism? I’ll deal with it

Harry Maguire is one of the most ridiculed people in world football. Fans wait for his every mistake, which came in the last game against Scotland when he scored an own goal. But the criticism doesn’t interest the England stopper much.

Maguire arrived in the summer of 2019 then as the most expensive stopper in football history. Manchester United shelled out £80 million to Leicester for him, as he was one of the best stoppers in the league in a Foxes jersey.

It’s just that he didn’t quite fit the bill at Old Trafford. He was soon given the captain’s armband and the complete trust of all the coaches, but his performances didn’t match it.

For three seasons he was a regular, although he was the target of huge criticism from the fans. It wasn’t until last season that Erik ten Hag came in, bringing Lisandro Martínez from Ajax, and Maguire lost his place in the lineup.

He ended up playing only 16 games in the Premier League, while three seasons before that he always hit at least 30 games. Moreover, before the new season, the Hag stripped him of his armband and Maguire was on his way out, a deal was about to be struck with West Ham.

“In short, we didn’t come to an agreement. Manchester United are happy for me to stay and I’m happy to fight for my place. I’m ready, I’ll give it my all,” Maguire told Britain’s Express newspaper.

Criticism? Don’t worry

But even in the new season, he’s not getting on the pitch. He didn’t get a minute in the first three rounds, with Arsenal, due to an injury to Martínez, he started for 24 minutes.

“The first four weeks were difficult because we only played one game a week and the manager didn’t pick me, but now we have a lot of games coming up and I’m sure I’ll play a lot,” Maguire said with confidence.

After the game against Scotland, when he scored an own goal, he was again criticised. So much so that even coach Gareth Southgate defended Maguire. The burly stopper doesn’t make much of it, though.

“I’m fine with it, don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t say I’m used to it, but I can cope with it. It kind of takes the pressure off my teammates and puts it all on me. In that case, it makes them play better,” Maguire said.

Source: Express