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Former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has suggested that Harry Maguire‘s struggles at Old Trafford are a result of the harsh criticism the player has been subjected to on social media.
Matic spent five years at Old Trafford after United swooped in to pry the player from Chelsea’s hands in 2017.
Matic joined Roma last season as a free agent. The Serbian exclusively spoke to Sky Sports recently and opined that despite currently undergoing a tumultuous personal spell, Maguire is still a great player.
The Roma man highlighted Maguire’s constantly being picked for England as evidence that there is still a good defender in there despite overwhelming public sentiment suggesting otherwise.
Matic told Sky, “I can understand why he’s playing for England because he’s a great player. When he signed for United, in his first season he played almost every game and he was one of the best players.”
“The problem today is that if you play two or three games not great, with social media, everyone criticises you and maybe that affected him.”
“But he has to think only about his job because in football everything can change in a few weeks. His situation doesn’t look great at the moment but he needs to be focused. He’s very professional and we’ll see what the future brings for him.”
Matic was asked about Erik ten Hag and the job the Dutchman has done since arriving at United.
The 34-year-old praised the United boss and revealed that he is a big fan of Ten Hag’s style of play and football philosophy.
Matic boldly predicted that on current trajectory under Ten Hag, United are on track to challenge for the Premier League title next season.
Matic namedropped Marcus Rashford as United’s best player and primary goal threat.
On Rashford, the ex-United star said, “He’s young like Tammy [Abraham], and if one season they aren’t doing well it doesn’t mean the next season they won’t be the best on the pitch and that is the case with Marcus.”
“For me, he’s one of, it not the best United player. He scores so many goals and he just needs to continue. For one player to perform he needs the support of all the team.”
Matic insisted that for United, it’s crucial that someone like Rashford remains the most prominent individual as opposed to David de Gea for instance.
