What Harry Maguire’s problem is at Man United — Vidic

Former Manchester United defender and club legend, Nemanja Vidic, has explained the biggest problem with Harry Maguire’s captaincy at the club.

Maguire’s position as captain was called into question last season due to his poor form and the team’s struggles under former manager Ralf Rangnick. The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly led to splits in the camp, with some suggesting that Ronaldo should take over the captaincy.

Vidic has now revealed the problem with Maguire’s captaincy on Rio Ferdinand’s FIVE YouTube channel, saying that Maguire lacks the authority he should have as captain because he has not been performing well.

“Maguire has a problem because he doesn’t perform well. When you don’t perform well it’s difficult to say to someone what to do,” said Vidic. “It’s difficult to gain that type of respect, it’s nothing against Maguire now. In general, any captain has to be first, has to show an example, has to play well and has to fight for the club and then everybody else will do it.”

Maguire was initially backed by Erik ten Hag, when the Dutchman arrived last summer, and was allowed to keep the armband. However, he hasn’t actually played that much this season, with Bruno Fernandes usually named as captain for each game. In the recent FA Cup semi-final, Fernandes could be seen rallying the troops, while Maguire stood back.

Vidic was also complimentary about United’s Europa League quarter-final opponent Lisandro Martinez, who dealt with a very similar situation to Maguire in the game.

“I like him actually, the first thing I saw is that he likes to defend,” Vidic said. “I had doubts when he came because of his height, but he’s good in the air. He knows how to position himself. I think he’s a good character and good in the dressing room. He has that mentality, he is a fighter.”

There have been reports that Maguire is amongst 15 players up for sale at the club in the upcoming transfer window.