Erik ten Hag can ill-afford another heavy defeat as Manchester United prepare to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League (Picture: Getty)
Erik ten Hag has been urged to recall Harry Maguire for Manchester United’s heavyweight Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.
The England international has endured a torrid start to the new season which began with him being stripped of the club captaincy.
Maguire has since appeared only fleetingly and returned to the substitutes’ bench on Saturday from where he watched his side torn to shreds by a rampant Brighton canter to a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford.
The defeat compounded a wretched start to the new campaign for United who are languishing in mid-table ahead a daunting test against Bayern and the in-form Harry Kane, who has made a prolific start to life with his new club.
Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez both looked way off the pace against the Seagulls and were said to have been involved in a heating dressing room bust-up after the game.
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Regardless of the veracity of those reports, former Chelsea star Andy Townsend believes Ten Hag should swallow his pride and recall the struggling Maguire who he believes is perfectly qualified to negate the threat of his England teammate Kane.
Townsend told talkSPORT: ‘At the weekend United were all over the place at the back, were they not? I don’t think that Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof, they’re what I’d call a number two centre-half.
‘I don’t think they are natural leaders, I think they need to be talked through, coaxed through matches. Is this the perfect match for Harry Maguire to come back into the United defence. He knows Harry Kane.
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‘He’ll have been up against him in training, he’s played against him here, there and everywhere. Could Harry Maguire come back in and resurrect himself. Is it that outrageous because Harry has been well documented.
‘Don’t forget it’s easy to overlook what he’s done previously because he’s lacking in confidence and he hasn’t looked sharp.
‘Every now and then you have a game where you stick someone in.’
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