Jamie Carragher believes it is too late for Harry Maguire to save his Manchester United career and maintains criticism of his England displays are justified.
The centre-half finds himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as his form spirals and with few opportunities to put it right. Maguire was thrown back in for England, where manager Gareth Southgate is stubbornly sticking by a defender who has been a mainstay during his time as Three Lions boss.
At club level Maguire has been dislodged from the United first-team, finding himself on the bench with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane having begun to form an impressive partnership. That has left the England man bereft of minutes - which has previously been cited by Southgate as a must if a player is to be selected for his country.
Maguire's lack of match sharpness was evident at Wembley as he made several errors, two of which led directly to goals for Germany. Maguire was jeered by sections of the crowd and, as players head back to their clubs, things are unlikely to get easier as he prepares to return to a watching brief..
Carragher said in his Daily Telegraph column : "My question to Maguire is this: 'Do you still have that same fury in you?' Too often, it looks as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders, like he is a startled bunny more than the authoritative centre-back he was. I think it is too late at club level.
"I wrote last year he was fighting for his Manchester United career. He needs this to be his final season at Old Trafford and start afresh. Now it is England's problem.
"When I watched Maguire in the last two games, I felt sorry for him. But that is not a good look for any sports person. Sympathy will not get him back where he was two years ago."
United have 13 games between now and the mid-season break for the World Cup in Qatar. Maguire may only feature in a handful of those, with any outings likely to come in cup games rather than the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag has three Europa League clashes and a League Cup game with Aston Villa, which could be Maguire's only opportunities to stake his claim. Failure to do so would leave Southgate deciding on whether to stick by a player who has been unable to turn his form around.
Carragher added: "Criticism of his performance against Germany is valid and justified and Southgate must assess if Maguire is mentally right for a World Cup, able to show he can put all the issues behind him. In the past, it is something Maguire has struggled with.
"How can the manager make such a big call before the opening game against Iran unless Maguire is playing for his club?"
