Manchester United have a big problem and its name is Harry Maguire

Manchester United purchased Harry Maguire to be the leader of their defense, but he’s now turned into a huge liability for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 

Manchester United supporters are widely criticizing the club’s leadership for failing to buy an attacking star this summer. That blame is misplaced. The real issue with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad is their inability to keep the ball out of their own net. The play of Harry Maguire has become a massive issue for the higher-ups at Old Trafford.

United believed they’d found a centre back who could serve as the bedrock of their backline for a decade when they first acquired Maguire from Leicester City. He very much looks the part of a world-class defender. His massive frame and willingness to be vocal with his teammates make him an easy player to admire.

Something has gone horribly wrong for his form this season though. His horrific Whoscored.com player rating average of just 5.73 through three matches accurately illustrates how bad he’s been. Maguire’s poor play would have caused a player with less reputation to be permanently banished to the youth team.

Of course, it’s too sign for United to completely give up on such a talented player. The old adage that class is permanent while form is temporary certainly rings true here. On the other hand, it’s also prudent for United to worry if Maguire’s game is starting to decline on a more permanent basis. A player with his limited athleticism can become a liability very quickly if he loses even a step of pace or a modicum of quickness.

Fortunately for United, Maguire seems to be largely suffering from a confidence problem. Consider the video below. Maguire is in position to usher the ball away from his own goal, but he literally drags Luke Shaw out of the way before bumbling the ball away to Spurs. This error is much more mental than physical.

United still can’t afford to wait forever for Maguire to figure things out. They massively depend on him to be their best centre back in every big match. Neither Eric Bailly or Victor Lindelof have that kind of high-end ability. The success of either player very much depends on Maguire being at his best.

Maguire’s slump also calls into question the club’s decision to offload Chris Smalling this summer. Solskjaer never fancied him as a member of his starting XI, but he could have provided some quality depth to this year’s team. Instead, he was sold to Roma to produce some transfer cash that was spent further up the pitch.

That’s the biggest criticism Ed Woodward and company should be facing at the moment. This team can’t operate at a high level without stability at the back. Maguire’s shocking form should be setting off alarm bells all over Old Trafford. Buying a world-class centre back should have been the club’s top priority heading up to Deadline Day. Instead, they continued to spend on style of substance. If Maguire doesn’t get back to his top form soon it’s going to cause heads to roll at Manchester United.