Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has conducted his pre-match press conference before the visit of Southampton.
Rangnick faced journalists at the briefing which was streamed at 1.30pm on United’s official app and was asked about his captain Harry Maguire.
The England international was again under the microscope after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Burnley and specifically his role in the equalising goal.
Rangnick talked up Maguire ahead of the visit of the Saints tomorrow and backed him to return to his best.
“He had an outstanding game against West Ham – like all of our backline,” said Rangnick of Maguire. “Against Middlesbrough, we didn’t give away too many chances.
“Burnley – we could have defended that transition better than we did but it was a negative chain reaction like most goals teams concede.
“We should have not allowed this counter attack to happen. We were not marking their connecting players high or well enough. Also, we didn’t defend it well when Weghorst got the ball. It was 2v1 – Harry and Scotty against him – and of course we shouldn’t have allowed him to go through.
“That can happen. Harry was injured. He had a two week, two-and-a-half week injury, he came back and had a good game against West Ham and I am pretty sure he can play at the same kind of level tomorrow against Southampton.”
We have written that it might be time for Rangnick to drop Maguire and it would be reading too much into his comments to say that is definitely not going to be the case tomorrow.
It is clear that the German remains confident in his captain, that he can get back to his best, starting against Southampton tomorrow.
It has been a really tough season for Maguire so far, where he has failed to really show his best form on too many occasions.
That might be a hangover from the European Championship or to do with fitness, but Rangnick needs his skipper to step up at the business end of the season.
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