Harry Maguire's situation at Manchester United is, unfortunately, becoming untenable. In recent weeks he has been under increased criticism from the fanbase but against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night, things really came to a head.
Throughout the game, Maguire was jeered when he touched the ball by some of the Old Trafford crowd, with his passes back to David de Gea being met with shouts of 'is that what £80m buys you?' and suchlike. And then when his number was shown on the substitution board in the 84th minute the crowd began to cheer and clap.
This quickly turned to boos as United fans jeered Maguire for what they considered a poor performance. But in fact, it was just a standard game from the centre-back, with the whole team under-performing and a lack of movement all around there weren't many options for either centre-back to build play from the back.
READ MORE: Manchester United need new leaders after showing their worst side in Atletico Madrid defeat
At United, there has always seemed to be a proud tradition of supporting the players through thick and thin, but that has seemingly gone out the window with regards to Maguire. It is safe to assume that this constant pressure is not doing a lot for his confidence in the game as well.
There was only really one instance in the second half where Maguire turned and turned again, which could have been considered completely chaotic. But to bring the issue back to the greater system, De Gea's inability to distribute the ball out from the back was constantly exploited by Atletico who pressed the centre-backs and cut off their passing options.
And in terms of his defending, it seemed it was United's tactic to have Maguire engage the striker while the rest of the defence including Alex Telles, Raphael Varane and Diogo Dalot dealt with the runners. However, Atletico anticipated this and Joao Felix consistently dropped deep to draw the English defender out.
Maguire is out of form and has a mistake in him, but he is far from the worst player that has ever played for United. The fact that he was lumbered with a record £80m price tag due to the club's inability to negotiate a better deal with Leicester City shouldn't be a stick that he is consistently beaten with.
And his treatment last night is something that shouldn't be condoned in case it becomes the norm. For the two years prior to this season, Maguire was considered a solid defender, but half a season of bad form has seen him labelled as the worst player the team has ever signed and the cause of problems he is not even remotely involved in.
United are in a season of disarray and nothing should have been expected after the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Multiple players have their issues and this has contributed to the overall operation falling apart. But the issues shouldn't be pinned on one man and booing and jeering him is not going to help him get back to his best.
Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
