MANCHESTER UNITED legend Rio Ferdinand has questioned whether the club can win a Premier League title with skipper Harry Maguire.
The Red Devils and England legend believes Maguire’s lack of pace ‘is a big weakness in his game’.
Harry Maguire has been guilty of poor performances for Manchester United this season
Red Devils legend Rio Ferdiand has questioned whether Maguire has a future at Old Trafford
Maguire, who joined from Leicester for £85million in 2019, has been plagued by inconsistent performances since arriving at Old Trafford.
With his displays coming under scrutiny in recent weeks, interim gaffer Ralf Rangnick dropped him to the bench for Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Watford with Victor Lindelof preferred instead.
And Ferdinand has declared he has doubts over what future the ex-Sheffield United man has at the Theatre of Dreams.
Speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel ahead of Sunday’s clash against Manchester City, he said: “I think there can be improvements.
“I think Lindelof is a good player, a solid player. Is he going to enable you to win the league? I don’t know.
“Is Maguire going to enable you to win the league? That’s a question as well.
“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 one-v-one, two-v-two or three-v-two if you want that security.
“But if you can play two-v-two or one-v-one 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.”
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