'Maguire hung out to dry by Man Utd teammates'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 8 May 2023 13:38 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United legend Teddy Sheringham believes that Harry Maguire's teammates are to blame for the defender's struggles this season.

The Red Devils captain has only been a peripheral figure since Erik ten Hag took the reins, being left on the outside looking in as the Dutchman has favoured Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane at the heart of his defence.

More recently, in the absence of the starting centre-backs, Victor Lindelof has impressed which has seen Maguire slip even further down the pecking order with even left-back Luke Shaw being preferred to the 30-year-old.

If reports are to be believed, Ten Hag and his staff are convinced that the English defender is not cut out to play at the top level anymore, that he can't cope with the demands of the modern game. Indeed, the expectation is that Maguire will be sold this summer.

READ: Real Madrid plan to steal Netherlands star from Man Utd

Club legend Teddy Sheringham, however, is of the opinion that the 30-year-old has been hard done by and that he is a much better play than people give him credit for.

What did Sheringham say?

In an interview with online casino Lord Ping, the former United striker remarked: "I think Harry Maguire's been hung out to dry a little bit at Manchester United. I think it's a long road back for him to get his United place back. Whoever does get him, if he does leave in the summer, they'll be signing a formidable defender."

"For a while," he added, "it looked like everyone was doing their own thing at the club – and none of the players were taking responsibility. Maguire always fronted up. The fingers that were pointed at him were very unjust."

READ: Ten Hag's De Gea comments send strong message on Man Utd's transfer plans

"I don’t think he has had a lot of help while he's been at Manchester United, he hasn’t been helped by the defenders around him and takes a lot of criticism...I feel like Maguire gets exposed quite a lot at Manchester United."

"If you go back a few years and look at Steve Bruce, I bet you he would have been ripped apart if he was left one-on-one, but he had Gary Neville and Gary Pallister alongside him; they didn’t leave any gaps for the opponent to exploit."

"That’s what you do as a back four – you don’t leave your centre-backs isolated," the three-time Premier League winner said.