Harry Maguire is the toast of Manchester United right now with his late winner against Liverpool at Anfield, and Nicky Butt thinks it has happened despite the club letting him down.
It is no secret that Harry Maguire hasn’t always been the most popular character among Man Utd fans when he was struggling.
Maguire’s story is one of resilience that players should draw inspiration from, but that’s because of the toughness he showed by winning the fans over, instead of external factors helping him.
Fans are still entitled to their view, so that’s under the rug, but Nicky Butt thinks the club also didn’t do his fit at Old Trafford any favours by letting him down with what they did.
Harry Maguire let down by Man Utd
Maguire’s tenure at Man Utd has been one of extremes, where he either played every game and received the captaincy less than a year after joining the club, or became the lightning rod for every critic.
He has never been allowed to plug away from the spotlight, which has started happening in the last few seasons as United made marquee defensive acquisitions.
The effect of that scrutiny letting up a bit is seen in Maguire’s game, as he plays like a player who is freed from the intense glare.
At the same time, those marquee defensive acquisitions haven’t allowed him to settle down in the backline with a consistent partner.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad, and The Football podcast, Nicky Butt said every great defender is a part of a solid duo, a luxury Maguire has never been afforded at Old Trafford.
He said: “I think if you look at his best games, they’ve always been for England, and he’s had Stones next to him. It’s like a yin and yang. So if you look at all the best partnerships, certainly at Man Utd, Bruce, Pallister, total different players, Vidic, Ferdinand, total different players.
“The yin and yang when we’ve had Harry, he’s gone into that club, and he’s never had the player next to him who can complement him, ever. So basically what Man Utd tries to do over the years, is try to play out from the back, and they try to get Harry on the ball there and play out from the back like a Rio, or like a footballer at the back of John Stones.
“He just hasn’t had that in his locker, so I think the club’s let him down with his partners that he’s had next to him, and now, he’s got his reward yesterday for all the crap he’s had for the last two or three years.”
Nicky Butt’s criticism isn’t entirely valid
It’s easy to look at Maguire now and declare that he was a world-class player in waiting who was held back by United chopping and changing.
The reality is that United trusted him consistently but his deficiencies always come to the fore if United are asked to play front-foot football.
It’s why he struggled when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opened the team a bit more, and became a rotation option for Erik ten Hag.
The likes of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were undoubtedly better options at the time, and Maguire’s current form shouldn’t have anyone rushing to re-write history and paint the club in a bad light.
The player deserves credit for the turnaround, but to run the narrative that he was some world-class player held down by the club is just plain wrong.
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