Mason Mount slammed by former Man Utd star after poor start – 'Nowhere to be seen'
Harry Maguire can’t continue playing for Manchester United despite his determination to fight for his future at Old Trafford, according to Lee Sharpe. The former Red Devils star has urged Maguire to rebrand himself at another club to end the relentless spotlight over his steep decline in M16.
Maguire’s confidence and form have suffered blows since his £80million transfer from Leicester City in 2019, making him a subject of mass criticism among fans and pundits.
The 30-year-old has slipped down Erik ten Hag’s centre-back pecking order and is now fourth-choice behind Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof.
Ten Hag even opted for Luke Shaw ahead of Maguire on occasions last season, seemingly setting up a summer departure so the England international could make a fresh start elsewhere.
But a £30m switch to West Ham United collapsed as Maguire decided to fight for his place in Ten Hag’s project. He’s made just one Premier League start this season.
And Sharpe believes it’s time for Maguire to move on from United for the benefit of his career.
“I’m not sure he can carry on playing for United because the stick has got a little bit too heavy and gone on a little bit too long,” Sharpe, an American Golf ambassador, told Express Sport.
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“Maybe a fresh start at another club to sort of rebrand himself, if you like, would be more beneficial than staying at United.
“He’s obviously way down the pecking order at United. We’ve seen Luke Shaw play centre-half ahead of him at times.
“So I think the best thing for him would be to move on, but he seems strongly enough-minded and stubborn enough to stick around and try to fight for his place, so fair play to him.”
Sharpe sympathised with Maguire over the widespread coverage of his struggles at United, blasting online treatment of the defender.
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And the former Old Trafford winger backed Maguire to rediscover his best form, praising two parts of his game.
Sharpe added: “I feel sorry for the bloke, to be fair, if I’m honest. The amount of criticism from the press, the media and social media has been unprecedented.
“You don’t turn into a bad player overnight. I know he’s made a few high-profile errors, but I still think he’s a good player. I still think he can defend, and I still think he’s good on the ball.
“It’s become a little bit farcical at times with the media following and coverage he’s getting every time he plays a game. They’re just waiting for him to make a mistake, and every mistake gets blown out of proportion.”
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