Former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham believes Harry Maguire has been unfairly treated by fans and the media in recent seasons, suggesting the club hasn't helped in the handling of the situation.
Maguire is expected to leave Manchester United in the summer, after falling out of favour in Erik ten Hag's side. Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane are both preferred when fully fit, with Victor Lindelof and even Luke Shaw starting ahead of the 30-year-old in recent games.
Sheringham still believes Maguire is a top centre-back who he expects to excel away from Old Trafford, should he leave in the summer.
"I think Harry Maguire’s been hung out to dry a little bit at Manchester United," Sheringham told opinion site Lord Ping. "I think it’s a long road back for him to get his United place back. Whoever does get him, if he does leave in the summer, they’ll be signing a formidable defender.
"Sadly, it looks like he will move on. He’s a player that has taken a lot of stick, which is really unfair in my opinion.
"Sometimes a player needs a new environment to flourish. I think he’s been at the club in a very challenging period – for a while it looked like everyone was doing their own thing at the club – and none of the players were taking responsibility. Maguire always fronted up. The fingers that were pointed at him were very unjust."
Sheringham points to Maguire's performances for England to highlight what he is capable of when trusted and given the tools needed for success, suggesting the attacking nature of the Red Devils team often leaves him exposed.
"I still think Maguire is a very, very good player," Sheringham added. "He's playing at the top of the game. I don’t think he has had a lot of help while he's been at Manchester United, he hasn’t been helped by the defenders around him and takes a lot of criticism.
"Whenever he's played for England, he hasn't let them down. Southgate trusts him as a key man in his defensive unit.
"I feel like Maguire gets exposed quite a lot at Manchester United. If you go back a few years and look at Steve Bruce, I bet you he would have been ripped apart if he was left one-on-one, but he had Gary Neville and Gary Pallister alongside him; they didn’t leave any gaps for the opponent to exploit. That’s what you do as a back four – you don’t leave your centre backs isolated."
