Harry Maguire booed as Man Utd star drops a clanger in pre-season clash
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Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was on the receiving end of a chorus of boos in Dublin after making a mistake in the first half that led to Athletic Bilbao taking the lead during their pre-season friendly. The Red Devils opted for a completely rotated team after defeating Lens the previous day, with the former captain getting a rare start.
However, he misplaced a pass that had little chance of finding its recipient and the defence was pounced on before Nico Williams was able to squeeze his effort past Tom Heaton in goal – leading fans to vent their frustration at Maguire.
As the England man collected the ball in his own half, he tried to flick the ball around the corner with the outside of the foot but his pass was quickly intercepted before Williams attacked the space that Maguire had left to bury the opening goal of the game.
Supporters at the Aviva Stadium had already been frustrated when they saw the United lineup, having expected the club’s top stars to feature when tickets were initially released only for the majority of them to play the previous day instead and miss the trip to the Republic of Ireland.
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Maguire found himself below Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and even Luke Shaw in the centre-back pecking order last season and been the subject of transfer interest especially from West Ham – but so far has been reluctant to leave Old Trafford and wants to fight for his place in the team.
Erik ten Hag and the club have reiterated their stance that they are happy for the former captain to stay, as they would need to replace him and no other team are yet to meet their valuation of the 30-year-old, though will not be impressed by another mistake from Maguire that led to a goal.
After a difficult couple of years at Old Trafford, many have called for Maguire to leave United in search of regular playing time elsewhere and a change of scenery may help get his career back on track.
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England boss Gareth Southgate has even admitted that despite his consistently solid performances at international level, Maguire’s place in the Three Lions team is not secure as a result of his club situation. “We’re not in a world where we’re cuddling,” Southgate told talkSPORT.
“We’re in the tough world of professional football He’s got two World Cup winners in the team ahead of him. Varane and Martinez are top-level players, when you’re at the big clubs you’re always going to be challenged, they’re going to sign players every summer, you’ve got to compete for your position and you’ve got to take that battle on.
“If you’re Manchester United you want good backup as well, you’re going to get injuries, they’ve got Champions League football as well as trying to push for the Premier League.”
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