Manchester United have too much to lose by giving up on Harry Maguire

Harry Maguire’s England team-mates came to his defence with the type of unity that has redefined life with the national side since Gareth Southgate took charge.

There was nothing new about a Manchester United captain receiving hate from England fans but the way in which players from Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham came to his aid spoke to the Three Lions’ new-found togetherness.

But, appreciative though he was for the support, it was hard to get away from the fact that it was another difficult moment in an increasingly difficult season for Maguire.

Deserved or not, the boos were a barometer of the mood music surrounding Maguire at this moment in time. He is stuck in a vortex of mistakes, wrong turns and badly-worded interviews. His relationship with United fans is so strained that he’s blamed for mistakes on the pitch that aren’t his fault and the calls for him to be stripped of the armband seem to increase with every week, even in the absence of a viable alternative.

What Maguire cannot escape is the fact that his performances this season have been poor on the whole. While he was always going to struggle to live up to an £80million price tag, Maguire’s displays during his first two seasons at the club were more than acceptable and the 20/21 campaign bore signs that he had grown into his position as skipper.

Maguire must front up that his displays this season have not been good enough. Regardless of price or his role in the side, too often he’s failed to carry out the basic demands of a centre-back. A look at Maguire’s league stats per-90-minutes since his move to United in 2019 shows that the defender’s interceptions, ball recoveries, passing accuracy and aerial duel success are all down this season on previous