Harry Maguire must accept uncomfortable truth after receiving Manchester United message

There are more recent photos of Harry Maguire wearing a training kit and warming up than of him in a Manchester United shirt.

Maguire last started against Sevilla on 20 April at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium and he's been restricted to substitute appearances since that debacle, despite Erik ten Hag being without his first-choice centre-backs.

Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane both picked up injuries in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals against Sevilla, but Maguire has not returned to the starting team since United spectacularly crashed out of the competition.

ALSO READ: Manchester United have three transfer priorities this summer

There have been six games since that disappointing night in Spain and although Maguire has been unavailable for two through suspension and injury, the partnership of Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof has been preferred.

In the absence of Martinez and Varane, the once-unlikely partnership of Shaw and Lindelof in central defence has been superb, but it says a lot about where Maguire currently is that he could not break into the team over those players.

Shaw is a natural left-back, of course. He's been outstanding when asked to play as a centre-back this season, but that is a position Maguire has played his entire career and it's a damning indictment that Shaw has been picked ahead of him.

The same can be said about the reliable Lindelof. After the World Cup, he was demoted in the pecking order after initially starting the season ahead of Maguire, however, the Swede has managed to rise above him again in recent weeks.

Maguire is essentially the fifth choice in his position because Erik ten Hag would rather play a left-back over him. United are probably the first club in history