Harry Maguire has admitted he wasn't on the same wavelength as Lisandro Martinez during Manchester United's Premier League defeat to Brighton.
Erik ten Hag's reign started with a 2-1 loss at Old Trafford. Graham Potter's side stormed into a 2-0 lead thanks to a first-half brace from Pascal Gross and were unlucky not to have a penalty when Martinez barged into Danny Welbeck after the break.
Alexis Mac Allister's own goal halved United's deficit, but they failed to equalised. It was a poor performance from the hosts, with Cristiano Ronaldo starting the game from the bench. The wantaway forward came on in the second half but made little impact.
Captain Maguire and Martinez were perhaps fortunate to get the nod ahead of Ten Hag's other defensive options. Fellow centre-back Raphael Varane was left on the bench, while Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and Phil Jones didn't make the 20-man squad.
"We went into the game positive, we had a good pre-season and it was the worst possible start to be 2-0 down at half-time at Old Trafford," Maguire told Sky Sports at full-time. "We got a goal back but we huffed and puffed a bit and it’s a bad start for us.
"We started pretty well and on the front foot and as a team we had control. Then we conceded the first goal and that knocked us badly. We need to look at not letting that first goal set us back as much as it did. It was a nightmare start to be 2-0 down at half-time.
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“We spoke about getting the next goal [at half-time]. I think in the second half you saw good parts to our game but overall we didn’t do enough. We had a lot of pressure and a lot of ball but we need to be a bit more creative and we need to improve on that.
"It’s something we need to address or it’ll keep happening. The first goal felt like a big blow to all 11 of our players."
On his partnership with Martinez, Maguire added: "It’s great to have Lisandro Martinez at the club. We have competition for places at centre-back. We’ve not played much together and in that first period we weren’t on the same wavelength. Centre-back partnerships are built over time and we will get a lot better and keep clean sheets.
"Everyone knew the task. We had a bad season last season. We’ve got a new manager trying to put his philosophy on the team but when we don’t get it right we look far too open."
Ten Hag has confirmed Maguire will remain as United's captain after a difficult 2021/22 campaign. The 29-year-old faced criticism in the media and from Red Devils fans but is determined to succeed at Old Trafford. He joined the club from Leicester three years ago.
When asked by United's website what expect of the team this season, Maguire said: "I think fight and, first and foremost, hard work. Running and fighting for the badge to give the fans excitement and also a team to be proud of."
