“It’s difficult for him” – Erik ten Hag makes interesting claim on Harry Maguire position at Manchester United
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has dismissed the idea of Harry Maguire playing as a left centre-back this season. He believes Victor Lindelof is better with both feet and will continue on the left side as long as the duo are playing together.
Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane are facing spells on the sidelines due to injuries. The Argentine has been ruled out for the season, while the Frenchman could return at the very end.
Speaking after the win over Nottingham Forest on April 16, Ten Hag revealed that he will not be playing Maguire on the left side of the defense. He told Sky Sports as quoted by GOAL:
"Not this season. The angles are not good for Harry if he is playing on the left side, it's difficult for him also defending in wide areas on his left foot but I think he is more capable on the right."
He added:
"Victor is very good, he can use both feet and I think he also did a brilliant job in the rest of defence and the defensive transitions. That's why we prefer to do it with them in this way."
Harry Maguire wants to play more at Manchester United
Harry Maguire has admitted that he is not happy with the number of minutes under his belt and wants to be involved in every game. The Manchester United club captain has been on the bench more often than not and was hungry for minutes.
He spoke to the media last week and was quoted by Manchester Evening News saying:
"Listen, I'm not going to stand here and say I love it, or that I like it. I don't. I want to play every game and I have done for the last eight years of my career. Also I have to respect the manager and his decisions and also respect how good the competition is at centre-back at this club. It is, and I believe that."
He added:
"Of course I want to play every game and I'm sure if you spoke to our centre-backs in their roles, they are all experienced and have played at the top level and will all be disappointed when sat on the bench. That is the same for me."
Maguire had offers to leave in the January window but could not get a move away from Manchester United. He has made 27 appearances across competitions this season, playing just 1400 minutes.