Liverpool legend and TV pundit Jamie Carragher yesterday took to Twitter to defend Manchester United club captain Harry Maguire.
Carragher seemingly took umbrage with Eric Bailly‘s comments regarding the favoritism of English players over others at United, which contributed to his departure on a loan spell to Marseille in search of first-team minutes.
To many people, Bailly’s comments were interpreted as a thinly-veiled attack on club captain Harry Maguire, who has fallen down the pecking order and is now out of favor with Erik ten Hag who has shown an inclination towards a Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez partnership.
Bailly said, “The club [Manchester United] should avoid favoring English players and give everyone a chance.”
“The club should encourage competition in the dressing room. I always got the impression that the English player was favored. That’s not the case at Chelsea or other big Premier League clubs.”
The 28 year old’s comments have been regarded as an indirect reference to Maguire, in particular “Some take it for granted that they’re going to start and that weakens the team.”
In response to Bailly’s comments – most of which a major section of the United fanbase would agree on, Carragher remarked, “Absolute nonsense!”
“Eric Bailly has been injured consistently and poor when he has played.”
“That’s why they keep buying players to replace him!”
“Harry Maguire is a better player!”
Absolute nonsense, Eric Bailly has been injured consistently and poor when he has played. That’s why they keep buying players to replace him! Harry Maguire is a better player. https://t.co/9fvBxp9gMN
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) September 6, 2022
While it is indeed true that the Ivory Coast international’s fitness was an issue and severely hindered his ability to sustain a consistent run in the side, his claims of United’s over-indulgence in English players over others is not completely wide off the mark.
Throughout Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s reign and Ralf Rangnick’s brief era in the dugout, players like Maguire and Luke Shaw would rarely get dropped even on the back of atrocious individual showings.
This seems to have changed drastically with Ten Hag’s arrival and hopefully, continues to be the case. It will only be a net positive for the Red Devils in the long run.
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