Erik ten Hag has insisted that Harry Maguire does not deserve the attacks coming his way, despite dropping the defender and stripping him on the Manchester United captaincy.
The England international was the subject of criticism and more from all corners after his recent appearances for the Three Lions, following a long run out of the United team and a spell of differing form.
However, Ten Hag believes there is still “a lot to come” from Maguire, who he has described as a “great player”.
“I have said many times, it’s disrespectful, he doesn’t deserve it,” the United boss told reporters. “He’s a great player, he gives great performances.
“It is crazy but it’s how it works. Harry has to block this by his performances.”
Ten Hag refused to go into details about Jadon Sancho’s exile from the first-team ahead of Saturday’s game with Brighton, with disciplinary proceedings ongoing against the winger.
The Dutchman asserted that “everything is said” regarding the matter as he described Sancho and Antony’s absence for the weekend as “setbacks”.
Brazilian winger Antony has been given leave of absence amid allegations surrounding his personal life and Ten Hag admitted he had “no idea” when the player would return, with Antony said to be “disappointed but okay” by his manager.
However, Ten Hag did go into further detail about his general stance on discipline having dealt with the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo midway through last season.
“Strict lines is what the club asked of me,” he added. “Because there was no good culture before last season.
“So [I had] to set good standards. That is what I did and it is my job to control the standards.
“It is never that someone makes one mistake, it is a whole process before you come to a certain outcome about strict lines. There is a structure to cross lines, so you have to be strong.”
