Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has accused of Erik ten Hag of 'lying' about Harry Maguire in the wake of Tuesday night's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Despite losing his spot in the United team earlier this season, Maguire, 29, had been tipped to muscle his way back into Ten Hag's plans after impressing for England during the World Cup.
But left-back Luke Shaw was selected ahead of Maguire for United's first Premier League fixture after the mid-season break - with Ten Hag revealing on the night that Shaw was forced to deputise in an unfamiliar role as a number of players, including Maguire, had been suffering with a virus in the build-up to the match.
Maguire did feature as a late second-half substitute after making himself available for selection, but Parker is adamant that Ten Hag "fabricated" the story about Maguire being ill and insists that the beleaguered Manchester United captain was fully ready to play - otherwise, he wouldn't have been included in the squad.
He told BonusCodeBets: "First of all we have to say that Luke Shaw did very well playing as a centre half. He barely made a mistake and Manchester United didn't really miss Harry Maguire.
"But to be honest, I don’t believe the story about Harry Maguire being ill. It was a lie and it is totally fabricated. It doesn't make any sense at all. On a cold rainy night in Manchester, there is no way you would ever let an ill man sit on the bench if he wasn't ready. He was ready but Erik ten Hag preferred to play with Luke Shaw."
Maguire has started just one Premier League match since August after underwhelming in back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Brentford during the opening weeks of Ten Hag's premiership.
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The Dutchman did, however, throw his support behind Maguire following England's World Cup exit earlier this month and tipped him to play a pivotal role for United during the second half of the season.
Ten Hag said previously: "I've been asked many times if he is good enough to play for me and it is clear he is good enough to play at the highest level. He has, for England, almost all the time good games. Yes, he had a period in Manchester where he performed badly and then of course there are difficulties.
"But when he is confident in himself, he will put that on the pitch. When he is working hard you will get that confidence and you are seeing that with the way he is playing for England
"We want him to bring that back to Manchester with him so he can bring it on the pitch for Manchester United. I expect from him, the team knows what they expect from him. If he does that he will be a great player for us."
