Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn has claimed that Harry Maguire "has been made a scapegoat" at Manchester United.
The United captain was dropped by Erik ten Hag for the Reds' 2-1 win over bitter rivals Liverpool on Monday night. Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane started as centre-backs with the Argentinian defender being singled out after the match for his dominating performance.
Martinez did not allow the Liverpool front-line a moment's rest as he chased every ball and showed his commitment to the cause in front of a raucous Old Trafford crowd. The defender also prevented what looked to be a certain own goal from Bruno Fernandes as he left everything out on the pitch.
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The decision to drop Maguire appeared to be the right call after the captain struggled in United's opening two matches against Brighton and Brentford. Ten Hag had publicly reiterated his belief that Maguire should remain as captain during the club's pre-season - a decision which raised some eyebrows among United fans.
However, Winterburn believes that Maguire has been criticised unfairly for some of United's shortcomings in defence this season.
The former Arsenal defender told Paddy Power : “Sometimes you look to your captain, if he's having a real bad time when you're looking for him then it can become harder because you look at a captain to lead by example.
"It appears to me that Harry Maguire is struggling a little and has been made a scapegoat. I've looked at certain goals where some pundits and people are putting Maguire into the fall.
"He's an England international, he's the captain of Manchester United, and the level of performance, as for most of them, needs to be considerably higher. The manager would make that decision whether he needs to change the captaincy, but the most important thing is his attitude, his dedication and the desire to win a game of football when you're out on the pitch, it doesn't take a captain to do that.”
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