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Former Man United captain urges club to address this ‘incompatible duo’ in the starting XI

Gary Neville: Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire do not work well together at Manchester United

When Manchester United signed Harry Maguire, the hope was that he would form a formidable duo in defence with Victor Lindelof. However, safe to say that the duo hasn’t always looked solid while playing together.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football (h/t Daily Mail), former United skipper Gary Neville believes the duo are incompatible and will need to be addressed in the summer.

The duo came in for further criticism following our 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns. Had West Bromwich Albion been more clinical, we could have come away with no points at all.

Harry Maguire Victor Lindelof
Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have struggled in the new season

Lindelof was outmuscled by Mbaye Diagne for West Brom’s opener. Maguire too had his moments of embarrassment but thankfully David de Gea was alert to bail him out.

“I want to make a point on Lindelof. Lindelof’s problem is Maguire, Maguire’s problem is Lindelof.”

Neville, for his part, does rate Lindelof. Just not alongside Maguire. The Swede is, in his own right, a competent defender. However, he needs a leader alongside him to iron out his deficiencies. Maguire sports the armband but is definitely not the answer.

Gary Neville: Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire do not work well together at Manchester United
Gary Neville believes Lindelof and Maguire dont work well together

A match not made in heaven!

More so the United skipper’s lack of pace puts more pressure on Lindelof to cover for him. The defence has proven to be an Achilles heel under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the Norwegian has a fight on his hands to fix it.

“The problem is he is alongside somebody who isn’t the most mobile in Harry Maguire, and I think that is the problem that Lindelof has got.”

Neville also pointed out that both players tend to sit back deep. He wants them to show more aggression.

“I don’t think he does a good job alongside Maguire because they both just drop back a little bit and United need someone to get up the pitch. They have got to get up the pitch, they have got to be more aggressive.”

Eric Bailly of Manchester United
Is Eric Bailly the answer?

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It would appear that Neville views Eric Bailly to be a better fit alongside Maguire due to his pace and willingness to bring the ball out from the back.

The Ivorian was an unused substitute at the Hawthorns and has struggled with injuries during his time at Old Trafford.

Written by Pranav Nair

An Engineering postgraduate with a keen interest in statistics, pop culture and football.

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