Thomas Hein
It’s hard to think of another footballer who has been the centre of as much criticism as Harry Maguire has in the last few years with the latest indignity coming at the hands of politicians in Ghana’s national parliament.
During more surreal circumstances, you know the merciless memes will come flooding in whenever the centre-back makes even the slightest error whilst playing.
Although this is a trend that is far more evident when Maguire plays for Manchester United given that when he plays for England, the 29-year-old seldomly puts a foot a wrong.
Club and Country
Further proof of this inexplicable disparity between form for club and country can be found in the latest World Cup 2022 betting odds when you take into account that this England team, with Maguire at the centre of defence, are at just 7/1 to go all the way in Qatar.
Put another way, there is a growing chance that Maguire could leave the Middle East has played an influential part in winning the World Cup for his country only to return to his club team to continue to be the butt of all jokes.
😁🏴 @England pic.twitter.com/rB7VA56YOm
— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) December 4, 2022
It should be said that whether England goes all the way or not doesn’t necessarily matter much when trying to value Maguire’s overall contribution on a football pitch.
The long and short of it is that this is a man who is incredibly good at what he does but ultimately loses every shred of confidence when he puts on United’s famous red kit.
Maguire roars for the Three Lions
At least, if Maguire was as inept as he is often made out to be, he wouldn’t be one of the first names on Gareth Southgate’s team sheet. Furthermore, this England side has reached a World Cup semi-final and a Euro Championship final with Maguire at the heart of the defence.
These extraordinary stats don’t end there given that England has only conceded two goals at the World Cup at the time of writing and kept three clean sheets.
Notably, one of those goals was scored when Maguire was off the pitch receiving treatment for a head injury.
They say that stats can tell any story you want them to but the reality is that Manchester United’s club captain is as good as they come at the international level, that is proved time and time again.
The only question that remains centres around why this form can’t be replicated in the red of his club’s iconic colours.
How does this end for Maguire and Manchester United?
It’s almost impossible to say matter-of-factly why, but a mixture of low confidence and lack of faith from the clubs’ powers have undoubtedly contributed to making him a shadow of the player that pulls on the Three Lions shirt.
That’s not to suggest that the 29-year-old is without blame because he does make mistakes, but it has got to a level where it happens far more frequently owing to the pressure he plays under.
“I genuinely think, pound for pound, he’s one of the worst signings we’ve made!” 🤦♂️
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) December 30, 2021
“When he has the ball, he looks confused.”
This #MUFC fan says the club made a massive mistake signing Harry Maguire. 👀 pic.twitter.com/olINyof1Aq
By this stage, it seems unlikely that Maguire will ever be able to repeat his international heroics for United given how synonymous he is with the club’s underachieving.
In all likelihood, the player knows as much and so does the club which means that a parting of ways in the future may be in the best interests of everyone.
