Arsenal legend Martin Keown brands Manchester United’s Harry Maguire a ‘SCAPEGOAT’
Martin Keown defends Harry Maguire and claims the defender has been made a scapegoat for Manchester United's poor performances.
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Martin Keown, Harry Maguire (Source: via Imago)
Former English defender Martin Keown has defended Manchester United defender Harry Maguire. He believes that the defender has been made a ‘scapegoat’ for the club’s performance. In a discussion about England’s players and the upcoming Euros, Keown talks about England’s quality in depth.
When talking about central defenders, Harry Maguire’s name popped up. Keown defended Maguire, stating that the player receives a lot of ‘unfair criticism’. He further stated that Manchester United’s issue is the midfield, and Harry Maguire is not particularly the main cause.
“He was named in the tournament of the World Cup,” he further stated, defending the English player. However, Keown also mentioned that Maguire’s situation is not ideal as a fourth-choice center-back at Manchester United. Harry Maguire is currently the most capped center-back in the recent England squad called up for the qualifiers.
Names such as Lewis Dunk, Levi Colwill, Marc Guehi, and Fikayo Tomori have a combined total of 8 caps as compared to Maguire’s 57. Harry Maguire played every game in England’s run up to the FIFA World Cup Quarter-Finals, keeping 3 clean sheets in 5 games. The defender, however, has not escaped fan’s criticism.
The criticism comes from the fact that Harry Maguire has had little to no minutes and is still called up. Maguire played a total of 759 minutes in the Premier League last season. Equivalent to 8 games. Players such as Tomori, who won Serie A, the season prior and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, didn’t get a glance at Maguire.
Therefore, fans believe that it is the crux of the problem. Harry Maguire’s experience playing in high-pressure international games is important. Reaching the finals of the Euros, and the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, and Quarter finals in 2022, the English defender has been immense for Gareth Southgate.
England’s squad has a lot of inexperienced players
England’s squad which has been called up for the Euro Qualifiers boast a lot of inexperienced players. In a 24-man squad, 11 of the players who were called up have less than 10 caps for the country. 9 of them have less than 5 caps and 2 of them have never played for the nation at a senior level.
Players such as Levi Colwill and Eddie Nketiah will be hoping to play their first game in an England top. Lewis Dunk has received his first National Team call-up in 5 years. Fikayo Tomori was also called up for England after being left out of the England World Cup squad.
Aaron Ramsdale will also be hoping to add more caps under his belt with only 3 appearances in 2 years for the National Team. England’s new talent will be hoping to make their mark for the country. For some of the older players, the upcoming Euros and World Cup may be their last in an English kit.
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Subhasish Deb
(863 Articles Published)