Harry Maguire has disclosed whether Erik ten Hag still has the backing of the Manchester United squad following their 3-3 Europa League draw against Porto, where they let a two-goal lead slip.
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Pre-match discussions were dominated by speculation over Erik ten Hag’s future, but United got off to a perfect start, with Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund scoring within the first 20 minutes…Continue Reading
Porto responded when Pepe headed in a rebound, shifting the momentum in their favor. Samu Omorodion then scored on either side of halftime, igniting the crowd at the Estadio do Dragao.
Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the 81st minute, his second red card in consecutive games, and it seemed United were headed for another loss. However, Maguire, coming on as a second-half substitute, headed in a stoppage-time equalizer.
With just two points from their first two Europa League matches, Ten Hag faces renewed pressure as United prepares to face Aston Villa in the Premier League in three days.
When asked whether United’s players still believe in Ten Hag, Maguire told TNT Sports: ‘Yeah, definitely.
‘To be honest, I’ve played for this club for six years so I know how it works. ‘When you go through a bad spell, players come under pressure but also the manager does.
‘He’s experienced enough, he’s been in the game long enough, he’s been at this club long enough that I’m sure he’s learned how to deal with it.
‘It’s part and parcel of playing for this club or managing this club. It’s part of the privilege that you have.’
The former United skipper added: ‘After every game you analyse and you speak amongst yourselves. ‘The manager spoke, a few members of staff spoke and the players spoke as well.
‘It’s pretty normal. I’ve been in many dressing rooms after the game where everyone has a chat and it speaks about what we can do better.’
Man United’s defence were at sixes and sevens before Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez were brought off, with Maguire and Jonny Evans coming on in their place for the last ten minutes of the game.
‘I think when you go 2-0 up away from home at a place like this you’ve got to be a little more solid and secure,’ Maguire continued.
‘There were far too many gaps, too many crosses coming into the box, for sure. I think in that first half there was five or six dangerous balls coming into the box and they ultimately punished us for it.
‘We played really well with the ball in the first half, just really poorly without it.’
The Red Devils have developed a habit for conceding goals in clusters under Ten Hag, which Maguire put down to a ‘mental issue’ resulting from a lack of ‘belief’.
‘I think it’s a mental issue. It’s something we’ve got to overcome,’ the England defender went on.
‘It probably starts with belief. When we go 2-0 up and concede, does the belief go a little bit between the boys that we can go on and win the game? It’s something we need to be aware of and focus on.
‘We need to make sure when we do concede that we get together, we regroup and we stick together because that’s part and parcel of football and it’s something we have to do better.’
