Erik ten Hag has managed to stabilize form and Manchester United are currently on a four-game winning streak that includes wins over arch-rivals Liverpool and league leaders Arsenal.
But the start could not have been worse, as United fell to back-to-back defeats at the hands of Brighton and Brentford in the opening weeks.
The Dutch manager then had to change personnel in a bid to get the team going, and since the duo of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez came in, the team hasn’t looked back since.
Maguire Disaster Class
Two of the main casualties of those changes were Luke Shaw and club captain Harry Maguire. The boss has had to endure quite a difficult last 12 months and the pressure on him has increased even more in recent weeks.
His last start with United was against Real Sociedad in the Europa League, a match that the Red Devils ended up losing. In fact, every time it has started, Ten Hag’s men have ended up on the losing side.
Luke Shaw believes Harry Maguire has suffered more abuse than anyone he has come across in football and wants England fans to accept the fact that his Manchester United team-mate remains a key England player. . pic.twitter.com/mH4nzHTbkx
— The Athletic UK (@TheAthleticUK) September 27, 2022
The hope was that the 29-year-old would go on international duty, play both games for England and return to United with greater confidence.
Despite public support from Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate, as well as his compatriots, Maguire ended up having a nightmare against Italy and Germany.
On Monday, the former Leicester City defender was to blame for two Germany goals. He clumsily fouled Jamal Musiala for Ilkay Gundogan’s penalty before losing possession and running out of possession for Germany’s second.
His United and England compatriot Shaw revealed he had never seen a player receive so much negativity and had a few words of support for his club captain.
“I’ll be honest, it’s a difficult period right now,” Shaw was quoted as saying by the BBC. “Of course Harry is an incredible player, an incredible character. He has put up with a lot, probably more than I have seen before in football, but he never hides, he is always there”.
“You can have people who can hide and don’t want to be in the spotlight, but he just keeps putting himself in the spotlight and showing the strength and character that he has because, come on, everyone knows he’s an amazing player.”
Shaw offers support
His confidence is shattered and he remains woefully out of shape. Critics now have more ammunition against Maguire and the weeks leading up to the World Cup in Qatar will see him under tremendous scrutiny.
But Shaw revealed that Southgate and the England team as a whole have faith in him and urged fans to understand how important Maguire is to the national team.
“Right now the confidence might not be there because he might feel like the whole world is against him, it’s hard for him, but we as players, the staff, we’re all behind him because he’s a very important player and he shows Gareth’s trust. that he has played in both games.
“Look at the European Championship and what he’s done, people need to understand that he’s a big part of the England team and they have to accept that.”
Shaw has not had his best moment, but his goal against Germany will do him a world of good. He will hope to bounce back and impress Ten Hag in a bid to return to the starting lineup. However, for Maguire, the road ahead looks very difficult.
