Former centre-back Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United captain Harry Maguire may not be suited to the Reds' style of play, issuing a strong defence of his recent performances for England.
The Sheffield-born defender has experienced a season to forget at Old Trafford, producing a string of underwhelming performances and several individual mistakes. He has been criticised throughout the campaign and a growing number of United supporters believe he should be moved on this summer.
Maguire saw Anthony Gordon's effort deflect off of him and into the back of the net during United's 1-0 defeat to Everton on Saturday, highlighting just how much is currently going against him. His confidence is rock-bottom and he is in desperate need of a pick-me-up to turn his United career around.
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However, former United man Ferdinand has questioned whether or not he is suited to the Reds' style of play, pinpointing how reliable and consistent he has been for Gareth Southgate and England in recent years. He has been excellent for the Three Lions and played a key role in helping them reach the final of the European Championship last summer.
Ferdinand told Vibe with Five : "In an England shirt he has been nothing but phenomenal. He has been unreal, so you can't say he is a dead player.
"There will be kids now who will be going, 'I'll never forget singing Harry Maguire songs, etc'. But what I am saying here is, for England he has been great, but they play a particular way of football that probably suits him.
"Man United, maybe, the way that they are trying to play hasn't suited him and his confidence has taken a big knock. I don't care who you are; you could be [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Zinedine] Zidane or [Kylian Mbappe], but if their confidence is low they are not the same player."
Ferdinand then referenced former United defender Gerard Pique. He spent four years at Old Trafford and failed to pull up any trees during that time, but he was transformed into one of the best centre-backs in the world once he settled in at Barcelona.
Ferdinand continued: "You could say that about Gerard Pique. When he was at Man United, you could argue that he might not have had the career that he has had at Barcelona that he might have had at Man United because of the way that he plays.
"It is like boxing, styles make fights; it is the same as football."
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