Harry Maguire has lost his self belief but he’s not become a bad centre-back, claims Dean Saunders
Harry Maguire
|Getty
Former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders has backed Harry Maguire although he believes that the centre-back has lost his self-belief and confidence which has made him play poorly. The English international endured a tough year last season but his lack of form has continued into the current term.
Ever since his move in the summer of 2019, Harry Maguire has thrived for Manchester United but all that changed last season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Englishman endured a tough campaign for the club with the Norwegian sacked and replaced by Ralf Rangnick in the interim although things didn’t change for Maguire. However, many hoped that the arrival of Erik ten Hag would snap the 29-year-old out of his rut and push him into a new run of form.
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Find OutYet even that hasn’t worked so far as while the Dutch manager opted to start Maguire in United’s first two games, he was dropped for the Red Devils’ first win this season. It has many believing that the club are better without him but Dean Saunders has refuted that claim. Instead, he admitted that the 29-year-old seems to have lost his self-belief and confidence which may take time to re-discover. Not only that, the former Liverpool man added that Maguire will eventually find a way back into the team because he’s a good centre-back.
“I don’t feel sorry for nearly any of the Man United players as they just don’t work hard enough. But I do have a soft spot for Harry Maguire. I think he’s lost his self belief, lost his confidence and it has eventually got lower. He’s not hopeless, he’s a decent centre-back and we’ve seen he can play well in the past,” Saunders told TalkSport.
“He’s got a decent attitude and I think he’s a good professional and a good lad. He is trying but his self-belief has gone. Maybe taking him out of the firing line, taking him out as at one point it is Harry Maguire bashing by Great Britain, the whole four corners were giving him stick. Maybe it will do him good, maybe a move would do him good.
“He’s a decent centre-back so would get in a number of teams. I’ll get criticised for saying this as Man United fans are saying he’s hopeless, but he’s lost his self-belief. He’s not become a bad centre-back. He’s better than a mid-table Premier League team, he can do a job for most teams,” he added.
