Devesh Kumar
Nemanja Matic defends Harry Maguire and explains Manchester United exit
Former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has spoken out in defence of former team-mate Harry Maguire. The England international has endured a difficult form of spell and has been subject to social media criticism.
The United captain was also dropped from the squad by Erik ten Hag after being part of the defence that ended up conceding six goals in the first two Premier League games this season.
And now, Matic who joined AS Roma this summer has come in defence of his former team-mate. Speaking in an interview with The Times [h/t The Athletic (subscription required)], the 34-year-old expressed his pain.
“What people are doing to him, it is a disaster. Everything has to have limits and some of these people writing on social media, they don’t have their own lives, so they just have to write bad things about someone else.”
Maguire joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2019 for a world-record fee of £80 million. But since his arrival, the 29-year-old has always been under very heavy criticism from fans and pundits alike.
He was named in the England squad for the match against Italy on September 24. The Three Lions lost the game 1-0 and the United captain was again subject to criticism on social media.
On the other hand, Matic who ended his five-year spell with the United side also explained his exit. The midfielder had a miserable 2021-22 season at the club which saw the Red Devils record their lowest point tally.
“I needed a new challenge because I never started playing football for money, it was because I enjoyed being on the pitch. I wanted to play more, so once I had the call from Jose, I was quite sure I made the right decision.”
Matic managed to play 23 league games last season but started in only 16 of them. He did not score any goal but recorded four assists in his final Premier League season. Things have been different this season with the Serbian playing in all nine games for Roma in all competitions.
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It remains to be seen if Maguire can impress Ten Hag in these two months. If the England international does not play much, his place in the national team could come under jeopardy. The centre-back will hope to change his fortunes this season and turn his critics into his fans.
