Erik ten Hag has told his central defenders they will be subject to ongoing rotation, with the Manchester United boss accused of unfairly scapegoating Harry Maguire.
The England international was relegated to the bench for Monday night’s clash vs Liverpool with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez given the nod. And the two helped United to their first win of the season after humbling defeats against Brighton and Brentford.
Maguire is now facing a battle to earn his place back in the team, just weeks after it was confirmed he would be staying on as captain. The former Leicester defender’s status as skipper was placed under serious jeopardy last term and it is understood he doesn’t retain the support of the entire dressing room.
But just two Premier League games after naming him as captain, Ten Hag made the big decision to drop him out of the starting XI. That came following the Dutchman’s admission that he implemented a leadership group, rather than relying solely on the under-fire skipper.
"I work always with a group of leaders, not one in particular,” he explained. “I spoke with the leaders about this issue. It doesn't have to be senior players but we have a core group who have to be the example and take the responsibility."
The Telegraph has reported that the United boss has informed Maguire, Varane, Martinez and the injured Victor Lindelof that he will be rotating his options, with so many games before the league pauses for the World Cup at the end of the year.
However, it is unlikely Ten Hag will immediately break up a winning partnership and so Maguire may have to rely on appearances in Europe, unless there is another domestic collapse. But Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn believes the £80million signing has been singled out unnecessarily by the new manager.
“Sometimes you look to your captain, if he's having a real bad time when you're looking for him then it can become harder because you look at a captain to lead by example,” Winterburn told Paddy Power.
“It appears to me that Harry Maguire is struggling a little and has been made a scapegoat. I've looked at certain goals where some pundits and people are putting Maguire into the fall. He's an England international, he's the captain of Manchester United, and the level of performance, as for most of them, needs to be considerably higher.
He added: “The manager would make that decision whether he needs to change the captaincy, but the most important thing is his attitude, his dedication and the desire to win a game of football when you're out on the pitch, it doesn't take a captain to do that.”
It is understood that Maguire was made fully aware he wouldn’t be included against Liverpool, with the build-up centred around giving Ten Hag’s new pairing as much time as possible to bed in.
Following the win over their arch rivals, United travel to Southampton this weekend, before facing Leicester away on the same day that the transfer window will close. Maguire has been linked with a potential move away, although that appears unlikely with Chelsea instead focusing their attentions on Foxes centre-back Wesley Fofana.
