The burden of Manchester United captaincy through such turbulent times is weighing heavily on Harry Maguire and explains the player’s loss of form, sources have told Metro.co.uk.
Maguire has struggled since his return from injury last month and looks a shadow of the defender that the Red devils made the most expensive of all-time in 2019 after his £80m move from Leicester City.
The England international was way off the pace in the recent defeat against his old team and was run ragged by Mohamed Salah during Liverpool’s record breaking 5-0 victory at Old Trafford.
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Maguire was again culpable for Atalanta’s second goal in the 2-2 draw in Italy on Tuesday, playing Duvan Zapata onside before making a reckless lunge at the Colombian, before he fired past David De Gea.
Many have questioned whether fitness issues have hampered Maguire’s displays this campaign, particularly as he missed the end of last season and rushed back to play for England at the Euros.
But, sources have told Metro.co.uk that Maguire is not troubled by any injury, nor is he playing through the pain barrier at a time when Solskjaer needs results. The player has continued to train as usual and hasn’t required a tailored programme.
Instead, there is a feeling within parts of Carrington that Maguire is struggling with the pressure of being skipper and feels the weight of responsibility for their poor start to the campaign.
Maguire was appointed captain after Ashley Young’s exit in January 2020 and the decision came less than six months after he completed his move to United.
The transfer was met with raised eyebrows by some sections of the club’s dressing room given Maguire hadn’t even completed his debut season at Old Trafford and was chosen ahead of more experienced members of the team.
Maguire has taken well to the captaincy and is a respected figure, but the focus on his position has increased in recent weeks after his poor displays and their demoralising results.
The defender has struggled to convince the entire dressing room of his suitability for the role and there is a sense that his job has been made harder by the arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo & Raphael Varane.
It means there’s an even more pressure on Maguire to lead a team with so many big personalities and Roy Keane criticised the player for his ‘robotic’ response to the 5-0 humiliation to Liverpool.
