Harry Maguire is Erik ten Hag’s first choice, but can he earn redemption in 2022-23? – Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results

PERTH, Australia — It is a signal of how issues are going for Harry Maguire that when Manchester United conceded a purpose towards Melbourne Victory on the MCG on Friday evening, the Australian host broadcaster targeted their cameras on him.

Maguire, the most costly defender in world soccer, had been outpaced by Victory’s Chris Ikonomidis however he wasn’t alone in being at fault. Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof have been each out of place, nevertheless it was Maguire who took many of the blame. He’s beneath the microscope like by no means earlier than.

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The summer time tour of Thailand and Australia is being billed as a recent begin for United’s gamers. Erik ten Hag arrived promising to squeeze extra out of a squad which price tons of of hundreds of thousands to assemble however might solely end sixth within the Premier League final season, 35 factors behind champions Manchester Metropolis. Their poor league efficiency was coupled with dismal cup showings after defeat within the Champions League spherical of 16, a 3rd spherical Carabao Cup exit, and FA Cup failure within the fourth spherical.

Maguire, who by his personal admission had a poor marketing campaign, turned the poster boy for the workforce’s dysfunction, each on and off the pitch. There have been a sequence of excessive profile errors together with a purple card in a 4-1 defeat at Watford which price Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job as supervisor, and likewise tales of a dressing room tug-of-war with Cristiano Ronaldo resulting in query marks over his captaincy.

Nobody wants a clear slate greater than the England defender. Ten Hag arrived in Bangkok forward of the primary pre-season pleasant and put one concern to mattress instantly. “Harry Maguire is the captain,” mentioned the Dutchman when requested who will put on the armband subsequent season. “I all the time see the captaincy as a problem that I dictate. The workforce constructing for me is a vital level and I all the time speak about a gaggle of leaders. The captain is a very necessary one and I am proud of him.”

The talk, although, will not go away anytime quickly.

Ten Hag inherited a squad which already included six senior centre-backs — Maguire, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, and Axel Tuanzebe — and he has signed one other in Lisandro Martinez, who joined from Ajax for £46.8m.

Harry Maguire is a first-choice participant in Erik Ten Hag’s plans, however the brand new head coach emphasised that Maguire should show himself within the opening weeks of the Premier League season. (Photograph by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Photos)

Ten Hag is aware of Martinez effectively from their time collectively in Amsterdam and, crucially, the Argentinian is the one left-footed participant within the group. Within the pursuits of steadiness, Ten Hag needs a left-footer to play on the left and a right-footer to play on the correct which implies Martinez is more likely to go straight into the workforce when United kick off the season towards Brighton at Outdated Trafford on Aug. 7.

And given the captain often performs each week, Ten Hag admitted throughout an interview in Melbourne that it is honest to conclude that Maguire shall be Martinez’s most well-liked associate — so long as he deserves it.

“I believe he’s [a first-choice player],” mentioned Ten Hag. “He is proved it up to now however he has additionally to show it within the current time and sooner or later. He has performed 60 occasions for England. Harry is basically spectacular and I anticipate so much from him. However there may be additionally inner competitors and that’s what a membership like Man United wants. You can not win with 11 gamers. We want a squad.”

There’s additionally the query about whether or not Maguire has the tempo or means to defend one-on-one to reach Ten Hag’s high-line system. Ten Hag insists he can however proof will solely come through the opening weeks of the season. For now, evidently Lindelof, Bailly and four-time Champions League winner Varane, signed solely final summer time, should wait within the wings however with gamers of that calibre warming the bench, Maguire doesn’t have a lot margin for error.

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He might need already gained over Ten Hag however he nonetheless has work to do to get United supporters again on aspect. When his title was learn out on the MCG forward of the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday, it was greeted with jeers from massive sections of the 76,000-strong crowd. For the primary half-hour, his each contact was booed and it solely stopped when he virtually scored.

Donny van de Beek mentioned afterwards he could not perceive the reception whereas United bosses tried to brush it off as pantomime booing of a high-profile Englishman by a harsh Aussie crowd, nevertheless it’s not the primary time it is occurred. After being substituted throughout a defeat to Atletico Madrid at Outdated Trafford in March, he was then sarcastically cheered off the pitch and booed whereas taking part in for England in a pleasant towards Ivory Coast later that month at Wembley.

Ten Hag has promised to supply assist however there’s a feeling among the many teaching employees that the one technique to flip the tide is by placing in persistently strong performances. “I’ll assist him in every single place I can however in the long run he has to do it by himself and he has the qualities to do it,” mentioned Ten Hag. “He has confirmed it so usually up to now.”

Maguire wants to point out it once more, all whereas main from the entrance in Ten Hag’s new period. The highlight is on and so is the strain.

Supply: espn.co.uk