Man Utd players are letting down struggling Maguire, says Merson

Paul Merson has claimed Manchester United’s midfielders don’t offer enough protection for Harry Maguire as the centre-back continues to face criticism for his recent form.

During a turbulent season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and now Ralf Rangnick, Maguire has produced a series of sub-par performances littered with high-profile errors.

His position as club captain has come under scrutiny and the £80m United paid Leicester to sign him in 2019 has regularly been used as a stick to beat the England international with.

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Merson, though, has expressed sympathy for Maguire’s struggles this season, claiming United’s defensive midfielders don’t do enough to help him out.

“I feel sorry for Harry Maguire, I don’t think they play to his strengths,” the Arsenal legend told Sky Sports. “The players on the pitch are letting him down, he needs more protection.

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“I know people say ‘Oh, he’s £80m’, but I don’t care – you get someone running at you on a consistent basis and it’s a big old pitch Old Trafford, you don’t want to be coming out.”

He continued: “Harry Maguire, you know I said from day one, I thought it would be a little bit of a struggle playing on the half-way line.

“I thought he’s not blessed with a lot of pace but at the end of the day he still has to get