The Manchester derby that will take place on Sunday afternoon will not feature Harry Maguire, and if Jamie Carragher has his way, the England defender may never again don the illustrious Manchester United shirt. Maguire will not play in the match. At Old Trafford and beyond, opinions on Maguire continue to be more polarized than on any other player.
Even if he had avoided injury, the £80 million captain almost certainly would have been named to the bench for the match against Manchester City. This is because Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are doing their best to tame Erling Haaland, who is a sensation in Norway. There have been a great number of defenders who have tried and failed before them; will the United pair be successful?
Maguire will be cheering from the stands and heading and kicking every ball despite the fact that he will not be participating in the game due to injury. It has gotten to the point now where even the most outspoken opponent of Maguire would admit that the player needs a little bit of luck - or perhaps guidance from somewhere - in order to succeed.
During the time that he was representing England, Gareth Southgate voiced his support for Sean Maguire. However, mistakes made beneath the famous arch at Wembley against Germany brought him back into the spotlight, and Carragher was among the most critical pundits when writing in his column for the Telegraph.
In his letter, Carragher posed the following question to Maguire: "Do you have that same fury in you?" Too frequently, it appears as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders, as if he is more of a startled bunny than the authoritative center back he once was.
At the level of the club, I believe it is too late. In my article from the previous year, I stated that he was fighting for his career with Manchester United. He absolutely must make this season his last at Old Trafford so that he can begin a new chapter in his life. The issue is now being dealt with by England. After seeing Maguire play in these last two games, I couldn't help but feel bad for him.
"No athlete should ever present themselves in that manner. Compassion toward him will not bring him back to the state he was in two years ago.
Ten Hag, the manager of United, is one of the few people who does not agree with Carragher's stance, despite the fact that Carragher's words are, at best, harsh. Recently, the Dutchman was quoted as saying the following about his captain: "First of all, I have to coach him, and I have to back him, but the reason I back him is because I believe in him."
"During the time that I worked with him, during preseason it was good, it was really good, both in training and in games, so then he fell out of favor, but it's also due to the strong performances of the center backs who are playing now.
"I am able to recognize the qualities, and even when he was cut from the team, he continued to train very well, and what is most important is that the qualities were still present. You can see from his career that he has high potential because he has almost 50 caps for England, [plays for] Leicester and Manchester United, and is doing really well in all of those places."
Ten Hag added: "The players in the locker room, the coaches, and the manager all have faith in him, and that ultimately determines the outcome. That is exactly what I said to him, and I have complete faith that he is capable of doing it and that he will succeed. That is something I am certain of."
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