Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is not expected to start Saturday's midday clash against Arsenal on the bench as Ralf Rangnick aims to take the pressure off of his captain.
The England international and United skipper has endured a torrid time of it this season and faced serious criticism from his own supporters in the wake of heavy defeats by rivals Manchester City and Liverpool. Rangnick is all too aware that anything less than a victory in north London will all but end any hopes United may have of Champions League qualification this term.
The Red Devils' most recent league outing saw them on the wrong end of a 4-0 demolition job at the hands of Jurgen Klopp's side at Anfield in a contest that saw Maguire scrutinised once again. In turn, Rangnick has deemed Saturday's fixture as the best possible time to hand his centre-back a break.
After the Liverpool game, Cheshire police with sniffer dogs were sent to Maguire's house after the 29-year-old was the subject of a bomb threat. The defender lives with his fiancee Fern Hawkins and their two daughters but the home was extensively searched by authorities following an email claiming a bomb had been left there.
A statement from the police explained how they had been "called to reports of a bomb threat at an address in the Wilmslow area". It went on to say: "No evacuations took place, but as a precautionary measure a police explosives dog has attended the address this afternoon, Thursday, 21 April, to conduct a search of the gardens and surrounding area."
According to The Athletic, while the level of security around Maguire has been increased in the wake of the incident, he is adamant he still wishes to travel to the Emirates with his teammates. The United captain's spokesperson revealed he is preparing for the clash as normal.
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Maguire has been an ever-present for United this season and could still feature in some capacity against the Gunners, but will do so via being introduced from the bench rather than from the first whistle. The distressing news surrounding Maguire slightly took the gloss off Erik ten Hag's official unveiling.
The Dutchman will take charge of the Red Devils following the conclusion of this season given he still has plenty of work left to do with current side Ajax. Ten Hag is agonisingly close to to securing what would be his third league title with the Eredivisie giants.
Speculation has already begun as to whether Ten hag will view Maguire as a central part of his plans or exile the club captain from the fold entirely.
