Harry Maguire has fired back at his critics ahead of Liverpool vs Manchester United.The Red Devils skipper has seen his form fall of a cliff since a fantastic 2020/21 season and Euro 2020 tournament, leading to some claims that he should be stripped of the captaincy.There have even been some supporters who think that United should part company with Maguire despite having invested a world-record transfer fee for a defender into his services.
Maguire comes out swinging
However, Maguire simply isn't going to go down without a fight and was sure to fight his corner ahead of one of the biggest games of any Premier League season: United's trip to Liverpool.
That's because the former Leicester City man pointed to the fact that he clearly can't be playing all that badly if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick have picked him so often this season.
"I wouldn't be playing every game for Manchester United in the starting eleven if I'd been playing bad every game or not playing well enough," Maguire said. "There's a reason why both managers have put me in the starting eleven every game."
Maguire's honest interview
It's certainly a legitimate point and one that Maguire did indeed caveat with the fact that his transfer fee and position as United captain unavoidably lead to an extra dimension of scrutiny.
But as you can imagine, Maguire's defence hasn't gone down well with every member of the Old Trafford faithful with the interview causing a storm on social media ahead of kick-off on Merseyside.
So, be sure to check out Maguire facing up to the critics, doubters and haters with his latest honest interview down below and decide what you make of his assessment.
Outraged? Understanding? Either way, it's certainly attracted plenty of attention.
Brutal criticism aimed at Maguire
Truth be told, we wanted to include some of the fan reaction to which we elude, but the sad reality of the situation is that a lot of the replies were simply too cruel and mean-spirited to publish.
While fans absolutely have a right to criticise Maguire for what has proven to be a shocking season, we have to be honest with ourselves and say that a lot of the backlash has gone too far.
It's easy to understand why United fans would be legitimately irked by Maguire's comments, but you can't help feeling that the social media narrative surrounding him has amplified the level of discontent.
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And at the end of the day, no matter what you think of both Maguire's form and interview, you can't help having a degree of respect for someone fighting their corner when so many people are against them.
Football being football, though; the best way for Maguire to silence the doubters would be the type of world-class performance at Anfield that we know he has the talent and quality to produce.