Man Utd flop admits Red Devils are better without ‘short of pace’ Harry Maguire
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Manchester United flop Kleberson has insisted that United are currently better off without Harry Maguire after admitting that opponents have “taken advantage” of the struggling skipper this season.
Maguire has looked uncomfortable at times for United this season and has endured a difficult campaign.
The 28-year-old’s struggles have come just months after he played an integral role in England’s history-making run to the Euro 2020 final.
Since then, Maguire’s form seems to have deserted him. The defender has turned in a string of abysmal performances in the Premier League and his poor form has seen him left on the bench by Ralf Rangnick for United’s last two games.
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And Brazilian midfielder Kleberson, who was on the books at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2005, has claimed that United are currently better off without their beleaguered skipper in the side – although he has backed him to reclaim his place in the team when the time is right.
“Harry Maguire is an excellent player and a very experienced one. He organises the back line well but has had a tough time this season in the Premier League, particularly in one-vs-one situations and where he has been short of pace,” Kleberson told Paddy Power. “Speed really troubles him.
“By taking a step back out of the team, he will understand how he can improve by seeing what it is that he needs to get better at, and how he can play better with the other players around him.
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“He will have an opportunity to come back into the first team. But at the moment, it’s tough to keep putting him in the team and letting opponents take advantage.”
During his uninspiring spell with the club, Kleberson clocked up just 30 appearances for United before he was offloaded to Turkish giants Besiktas.
Unlike Kleberson, Maguire has played an important role for United since his eye-watering £80million move from Leicester City was finalised back in 2019.
The commanding centre-half has racked up over a century of appearances for United and was even named club captain by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But his faltering form in recent months has led some to question whether he is the right person to lead the team right now.
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Dutch defender Jaap Stam became the latest former United player to speak out on Maguire this week. He admitted that United may have overpaid for Maguire – but also stressed that some of his recent shortcomings can also be attributed to a lack of quality around.
“It’s a lot of money they paid for [Maguire]. To be honest, when I saw him at Leicester City, he was a decent player,” Stam told the Michael Anthony Show.
“I think Wes Brown was quicker and faster than him. He was more mobile too in 1v1s in big spaces. When you play for United, you need to be able to defend 1 v 1s in big spaces.
“I do think it is important to have good players around [Maguire]. When he has good players around him to support him, that helps. When I had good players around me, I could perform a little bit better too.”
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