Rio Ferdinand has questioned whether Manchester United will ever be able to win the league with their defence centered around captain Harry Maguire.
Maguire, an £80m signing from Leicester in 2019, has struggled to produce his finest form this season and was dropped for Saturday's 0-0 draw against Watford at Old Trafford.
Ferdinand believes Maguire's lack of pace, combined with how top teams press defenders to win the ball back higher up the pitch, means he could struggle to reclaim his position in the club's long-term future.
'Is Maguire going to enable you to win the league? That's a question as well,' Ferdinand said on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel. 'The thing about someone like Ralf Rangnick and all the top teams now is when they play, they play on the front foot and want to win the ball high.
'Therefore, you need defenders that can defend on the halfway line 1v1, 2v2 or 3v2 if you want that security. But if you can play 2v2 or 1v1 on the halfway line, that enables you to have more bodies in the opponents' half. Hence why teams do that, to win the ball early and be closer to the opposition goal to score goals.
'Liverpool do it tremendously well, Manchester City do it really well, Bayern do it. Three of the best teams on the planet and everyone is going that way of playing football. Rangnick's style is like that.
'Can you do that with Maguire? That's my problem, that's my issue. His pace doesn't allow for that, he's always going to be looking over his shoulder.
'If I'm a quick centre-forward or a quick attacker, I would be hanging around where Harry Maguire is. For all the good traits he has in his game, that is a big weakness and that is a fundamental of all the top teams, to play 1v1 on the halfway.
'For Maguire, long-term, unless he can find an extra yard of pace it's going to be difficult for him.
'You have to be able to do that. Top teams, top players can do that. Jaap Stam - leave him on the halfway line, not a problem. Virgil van Dijk, leave him on the halfway line, not a problem.'
United and Maguire are currently battling it out to qualify for next season's Champions League.
They occupy fourth in the Premier League standings but Saturday's frustrating draw with Watford allowed fellow contenders Arsenal, West Ham and Tottenham to close the gap.
United return to domestic action on Sunday with a blockbuster showdown against rivals Manchester City.
BLACOLOGY342
428
I don’t know what will happen if Maguire meets quick attackers like Vini jr, Mbappe or Coman right now!
YoUTDd4life
338
It's totally Irrelevant, Maguire has his flaws, but currently Utds Defenseis so regularly exposed because of lack of support from a stagnant midfield. The midfield is porous , they can't hold a ball, can't seem to stitch 4 consecutive passes , lose possession on their own, they don't put opposition under pressure , still too much sideways and backward foreplay [Crylaugh][Crylaugh][Crylaugh]currently the only midfield that teams pass through at leisure. Our Midfield sucks, they are lacking in pace, dynasym , wizardry, endurance and stamina to cope with the pressing game that all top teams are now accustomed. 🙈Not looking forward to the upcoming Derby
Bullyoftheearth
189
Football can be crazy yes maguire has been terrible but what have his teammates done to help him improve or cover his weaknesses? Sometimes it’s not about been faster but been smarter as team and knowing your opponent if we look at the teams mentioned above Liverpool have an engine in Fabinho that covers his CBs , city are a team that’s built to have the ball more than the opponents no matter what and that makes it a bit easy for their defenders, Bayern also have kimmich who is excellent, Bayern, Liverpool, City have a system of play and it’s really hard to spot weaknesses but if you look at United they lack so many things be it a system of play or leadership all the blame at United is put on Maguire if this continues they will keep buying players without any improvement