Harry Maguire has received support from Giorgio Chiellini, who claims the Manchester United captain is a “fantastic player” with an unfortunate price tag.
When he moved from Leicester to Old Trafford for £80m ($91m), the England international became the most expensive defender in the world.
However, after United’s 2022–23 Premier League season commenced with back-to-back losses to Brentford and Brighton, Maguire was dropped from the team.
He has occasionally had trouble living up to that lofty reputation, but Italy legend Chiellini thinks the 29-year-old is the target of unfair criticism.
What Did Chiellini Say About Maguire?
Euro 2020 winner Chiellini, who retired from international duty with 117 caps to his name back in April leapt to Maguire’s defence. He told The Times: “I am sad for Maguire’s situation because he is a good player.
Chiellini has got Maguire’s back 💪 pic.twitter.com/ivERuWGadB
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) September 22, 2022
“They require too much of him. Just because they paid £80million for him, he has to be the best in the world every match? It’s not right.
“The value of the market is dependent on many aspects you can’t control. It’s not your fault.
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“Him and [John] Stones are a good duo. OK, Maguire maybe is not Rio Ferdinand but he’s good enough. With this situation it’s not helping [England] to do the best.
“If you want to win the World Cup, it’s impossible to do it with some problems in the key players, and for sure Maguire is one of the key players in the team.”
Maguire, who is currently short on minutes and form at club level, could see game time this week, as England returns to UEFA Nations League action against Italy on Friday before facing Germany the following Monday.
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