Premier League

Pundit ‘surprised’ at Man Utd star’s struggles and admits he got initial Harry Maguire assessment wrong

Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw Man Utd v Middlesbrough February 2022

Ledley King has admitted that he thought Harry Maguire would be able to better handle the criticism over his Manchester United performances.

Maguire moved to Old Trafford from Leicester in 2019 as the world’s most expensive defender at £80million. He played all 38 Premier League games in his debut season, taking the captain’s armband along the way.

The 29-year-old continued in that vein and went on to star at Euro 2020 with England.

However, Maguire‘s performances have dropped off this season. He has faced criticism for his displays amid a reported power battle with Cristiano Ronaldo over leadership and the captaincy.

England manager Gareth Southgate has continued to back the Man Utd star. However, some England fans booed Maguire during the most recent international break.

Former Tottenham centre-back King has said that he resonates with Maguire’s struggles under interim United boss Ralf Rangnick.

“I think Gareth backs him, he’s played well for England but he’s just in a bad mental space at the moment. I know what it’s like,” King told the Mennie Talks podcast.

“The game just seems a lot when you know you’re not playing at your best. When you think too much, it just doesn’t come naturally, and now can he get out of that?

“Whether the manager, who is close to him on a daily basis, feels that he needs to pull him out for a few weeks to then bring him back in – the manager will know best.

“Other than that, there’s no easy fix other than…

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