Man United big name is ‘worse than Fred’ and ‘not fit to wear the shirt’ – pundit
Harry Maguire was “embarrassing” for Man United in their capitulation to Man City and his failure to provide adequate leadership makes him “worse than Fred”.
That is according to ex-Leeds striker Noel Whelan, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the reasons for the 4-1 derby defeat on Sunday.
United legends were horrified by the manner of the defeat and have rounded on the players to condemn the performances from so many of the starting XI.
Kevin de Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez scored twice each in a City masterclass, with Jadon Sancho having levelled earlier with a superb goal to make it 1-1.
United were completely outclassed and got worse as the match went on as they failed to cope with City’s sparkling play.
Whelan pointed the finger at captain Maguire, 29, for failing to set the standards of resilience and leadership needed, especially in the absence of the injured Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Maguire was poor and he has been for a long time,” Whelan told Football Insider. “Yes, he’s not the only one but your captain is supposed to set the tone, be a leader and resilient.
“Maguire doesn’t provide that. That makes him worse than Fred in my book.
“Is he fit to wear the shirt and be a United captain? Probably not at this time. For £80million you are expecting so much more, and the fans aren’t getting it.”
Maguire has been a mainstay of the United team this term despite occasionally losing his place or missing out due to injury.
He has started 22 Premier League games among 29 matches in all competitions this season.
In other news, pundit ‘amazed’ by Man United star putting Marcus Rashford in “position he doesn’t want to be in”.