Sports

Erik Ten Gives Verdict On Maguire’s Defending After Calamity Goal Against Melbourne

Published

2 years ago

Jul 17, 2022.

Benard Joseph

Erik Ten Gives Verdict On Maguire’s Defending After Calamity Goal Against Melbourne
Harry Maguire has been subjected to heavy criticism for his role in the calamitous goal Manchester United conceded against Melbourne Victory…

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Manchester United boss, Erik ten Hag has jumped to the defence of Harry Maguire by maintaining that “the team” were at fault for the calamitous goal conceded against Melbourne Victory on Friday.

Maguire, who recovered from a minor injury to make his first appearance under Ten Hag in United’s 4-1 comeback win over the Australian outfit, a matter of days after missing the Red Devils’ rampant 4-0 rout over Liverpool in Thailand. The centre-back skippered the side in Melbourne, but his pre-season got off to a stuttering start.

With just five minutes on the clock, the hosts netted a stunning opener through Chris Ikonomidis, who evaded Maguire and slotted home. Both the 29-year-old and his centre-back partner for the first half, Victor Lindelof, came in for some heavy criticism following the shoddy passage of play, but Ten Hag was quick to attribute the blame elsewhere.

“I know I don’t want to talk about individuals because I think it was, from the start, high up the pitch, the wrong choices,” the United boss admitted. “Then it ended up like a pack of cards.

“It ended up with a goal against. But it is not one individual, it was more the team who made mistakes there.”

United would later recover as Scott McTominay and Antony Martial both struck moments before the half-time interval. Maguire made way at the break and watched on from the sidelines as substitutes Marcus Rashford and Tahiti Chong put the gloss on United’s second pre-season triumph in a matter of days.

Maguire was heavily criticised last campaign as United endured a woeful season, in which the Red Devils finished down in sixth in the Premier League and conceded a record 56 goals in 38 matches. The England defender was also the subject of a fierce dispute over the club’s captaincy last term alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Amid the uncertainty of the Portuguese superstar’s future, Ten Hag recently confirmed Maguire would continue as club captain for the upcoming campaign. The Dutchman confirmed in a press conference that “Harry Maguire is the captain” before going on to justify his decision.

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“Of course, I have to get to know all the players and it takes time,” Ten Hag declared. “But he is an established captain for a few years and he has achieved a lot of success, so I don’t doubt about this issue.”

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