Ledley King has admitted that he thought Harry Maguire would be able to better handle the criticism over his Manchester United performances.
Maguire moved to Old Trafford from Leicester in 2019 as the world’s most expensive defender at £80million. He played all 38 Premier League games in his debut season, taking the captain’s armband along the way.
The 29-year-old continued in that vein and went on to star at Euro 2020 with England.
However, Maguire‘s performances have dropped off this season. He has faced criticism for his displays amid a reported power battle with Cristiano Ronaldo over leadership and the captaincy.
England manager Gareth Southgate has continued to back the Man Utd star. However, some England fans booed Maguire during the most recent international break.
Former Tottenham centre-back King has said that he resonates with Maguire’s struggles under interim United boss Ralf Rangnick.
“I think Gareth backs him, he’s played well for England but he’s just in a bad mental space at the moment. I know what it’s like,” King told the Mennie Talks podcast.
“The game just seems a lot when you know you’re not playing at your best. When you think too much, it just doesn’t come naturally, and now can he get out of that?
“Whether the manager, who is close to him on a daily basis, feels that he needs to pull him out for a few weeks to then bring him back in – the manager will know best.
“Other than that, there’s no easy fix other than hard work on the training pitch.”
King, who became Tottenham captain and also played for England, added that he did not think Maguire would struggle handling criticism.
“He has always struck me as someone who is mentally strong, so I’m surprised that he seems to be struggling in this way,” King added.
“He’s just got to keep playing and believe in himself, and that confidence is so important as he can’t have any doubts.”
Maguire has to focus on Man Utd task
Maguire’s struggles have factored in another below-par season at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils exited the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle. They also lost to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fourth round.
And while they reached the Champions League knockout stages, they lost to Atletico Madrid – again at the first hurdle.
As such, the focus has been on securing a top-four Premier League finish, although Man Utd have failed to prove their credentials with some recent results.
Nevertheless, Arsenal’s defeat to Crystal Palace presented a potential opening for United. They still have to play Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in what will prove a pivotal match.
Further down the line, Maguire can look forward to hopefully gelling with the new manager and finding a new focus.
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source https://www.teamtalk.com/manchester-united/harry-maguire-ledley-king-surprised-struggles-initial-assessment-wrong
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