The legacies of both Harry Maguire and Phil Jones have been "tarnished" by recent changes at Manchester United, according to Louis Saha.
The Red Devils are in the midst of a squad overhaul with Erik ten Hag now at the helm. Several notable names arrived in his first summer, including Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez, which led to some players being demoted from regulars to peripheral figures.
Maguire is among those, having previously been captain and a guaranteed starter under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, to lose out and his future in Manchester is unclear. Jones meanwhile has long been out of the first-team picture, largely due to injuries, with the defender never able to fulfil the promise he had as a youngster.
Jones' departure has already been announced and Maguire's could soon follow with the player struggling for minutes. Saha told Betway: "I feel sad for them both because they are very loyal and have given their all for the club. Their legacy has been tarnished because of the team's transition in recent years."
Maguire had to deal with huge expectation having arrived in 2019 as the world's most expensive defender. Error-strewn performances were overlooked by the previous regime, but Ten Hag was quick to establish the Englishman as a squad player.
His price tag has continued to hang over him and Saha believes that the former Leicester man was always going to struggle to justify the outlay given the state of United at the time.
He added: "The team was not ready for Maguire, the squad was going through a transition and that’s why his £80m price tag was that enormous for a defender. It put a lot of pressure on his shoulders and it made it a nightmare for him. Maguire has done what he could do with his quality, but the team was not ready for him and it’s unfair."
Jones meanwhile was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson, but has spent much of the past few seasons on the treatment table. As a result he's fallen down the pecking order with new defenders consistently being bought in, which has made it more challenging to re-establish himself.
United have enjoyed a slight renaissance under Ten Hag, claiming silverware at Wembley and reaching another final, but Jones' contribution has been minimal. Saha continued: "Phil Jones has been very unlucky with injuries throughout his Manchester United career, but he’s always been a loyal player and never spoke out. The last few years, Jones has not played enough. He won’t be telling anyone that he’s contributed to any success."
