Out-of-favour Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has reportedly grown frustrated with David de Gea as he continues to be left on the bench by Erik ten Hag.
Maguire has not started a Premier League game since United were hammered 4-0 by Brentford in their second game of the season. Instead, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane have been selected as the Red Devils' first-choice centre-back pairing.
That has not prevented Maguire from being called up for England duty for the upcoming Nations League games. It appears, though, that he faces a tougher task to reclaim his spot in the United line-up, given that Ten Hag's side have won every domestic game since he was dropped.
While Maguire accepts some responsibility for his poor form over recent seasons, he is also privately critical of some of his team-mates. According to ESPN, the Englishman feels he 'hasn't been helped' by the coaches and players around him.
Some of those 'frustrations' have been aimed in particular at United goalkeeper De Gea, who has retained his place since Ten Hag took charge. It is stated that Maguire has become annoyed with the Spaniard's lack of communication and reluctance to defend further from his goal-line.
The summer arrival of Martinez from Ajax appears to have improved the situation as the Argentine is able to communicate with De Gea in his native Spanish. Despite Maguire's frustrations, it is claimed he is approaching a 'crossroads'.
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His dramatic fall from grace at Old Trafford could see his starting spot with England come under threat. As a result, he is facing a 'harsh reality', with game time at United likely to be at a premium ahead of this winter's World Cup.
While he is undoubtedly Ten Hag's first-choice keeper for now, De Gea himself has admitted his weaknesses. That was apparent following the hammering at the Bees - a defeat which De Gea was largely given the blame for.
"I think I cost my team three points today. It was a poor performance from myself. After the first mistake and then the second, it was very tough to be playing and it was a horrible day," he said following the loss.
"Of course, we should react better but the moment we are living now is tough, every time we concede a goal. I should've saved the first shot and probably the result would be different. I [should] have to read it better and kick it long. But, of course, we always try to play. But today they pressed hard and I should've read it better."
Maguire has two opportunities to prove his worth over the coming fortnight on the international stage. The Three Lions are so far winless in the Nations League and must beat Italy and Germany to avoid relegation for certain, with Southgate keen to hand minutes to Maguire.e
“Clearly, we have a number of players including Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips who are not playing a lot of minutes with their club. It is not ideal, but we feel they have been, and can be, important players for us. It is not a perfect situation but there is still a lot of football to be played before Qatar," the England boss said.
