Manchester United captain Harry Maguire reportedly believes David de Gea’s ‘lack of communication’ and ‘reluctance to defend further away from his goal-line’ have contributed to his troubles.
Despite his troubles with form last season, Maguire retained the captain’s armband and his starting spot at Old Trafford coming into the 2022-23 season.
However, he has not started a Premier League game since the 4-0 defeat at Brentford on August 13, with his sole league appearance since then coming as a late substitute against Arsenal.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are now Man United’s starting center-back duo, leaving Harry Maguire fighting to regain his place in the lineup.
Maguire believes De Gea’s ‘lack of communication’ was a problem for him, and the centre-back also struggled with the goalkeeper’s unwillingness to push further up the field.
Despite his previous troubles with football, Maguire has been selected to England’s squad for the national team’s forthcoming UEFA Nations League games with Italy and Germany.
Will Maguire Play For England In The 2022 World Cup?
There have been speculations that Maguire’s problems at club level could weigh against him in the 2022 World Cup, which is set to begin in November.
However, England head coach Gareth Southgate is said to have given the former Sheffield United youngster assurances about his starting spot.
“Gareth has been in contact and assured him that he has a lot of credit in the bank with England thanks to his previous performances,” a source told The Sun recently.
“Naturally he wants to play and is worried that not getting game time might affect his place in the England team ahead of the World Cup. But he’s spoken to Gareth who has told him he has no need to worry at the moment.
“He’s been told there’s enough credit in the bank with England because he has never let the national side down. For the time being at least, he’s still firmly part of the manager’s plans for Qatar.”
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Maguire has been capped 46 times for his country, scoring seven goals in the process, and he is slated to start against Italy on Friday night.
“Harry needs pace around him, but he hasn’t had that,” a source close to Maguire told ESPN. “If you put Ruben Dias in the United defence and Harry in the City (Manchester City) back four, Dias would struggle and Harry would thrive.
“Harry hasn’t had a good 12 months, but he hasn’t been helped by those around him, coaches or players, so it’s inevitable that his confidence and form have suffered.”
Maguire started the full 90 minutes of Man United’s Europa League match against Real Sociedad on September 8, but he came off the bench against Sheriff Tiraspol last week, only appearing for the final minute.
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