Rafael van der Vaart has taken yet another bizarre swipe at Harry Maguire to reignite his feud with the Manchester United and England defender.
The Dutch midfielder - who starred in the Premier League for Tottenham during his illustrious playing career - was working as a pundit on Dutch TV for the final round of Group E fixtures, including Germany vs Costa Rica. Hansi Flick's side eventually ran out 4-2 winners, but were dumped out of the competition courtesy of Japan's shock 2-1 win against Spain.
And during his analysis after the match, Van der Vaart took the opportunity to reignite his feud with Maguire. He said: ''Germany have a problem in defence. [Niklas] Sule is not world-class. He is the German Harry Maguire."
Van der Vaart's bizarre comments come just months after he attacked the Manchester United skipper back in September. After questioning the quality of Theo Hernandez and his brother, Lucas, Van der Vaart turned his attention to Maguire. He told Dutch TV: "Theo Hernandez, I think it's a very average player. It's the same with his brother. These two think they are really good, I think they are not good at all. They are lucky to play for such clubs."
When he was then asked why they play for such big clubs, he quipped: "Yeah well, there are many players who share the same example. Harry Maguire is probably the best example. But let's not talk about him too much."
The 39-year-old has launched numerous other attacks on Maguire since hanging up his boots. Back in 2019, he poked fun at the £80million transfer fee United shelled out to acquire Maguire. He told Sky Sports: “It’s funny because we [Netherlands] were in the Nations League against England.
“I was working for the Dutch television and I remember we were saying: ‘Harry Maguire… he was by far the worst player on the pitch’. And then two months later, £80 million. Unbelievable.”
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Just months later, Van der Vaart likened Maguire to an amateur player before taking another shot at the centre-half after he was nutmegged against Bournemouth in the summer of 2020. “I think Maguire goes home every day and tells his wife: ‘I screw up, but I earn so much. They really believe I’m good’. I really think so, he laughs at everyone," Van Der Vaart said.
Van der Vaart's most brutal assessment came following United's thumping 5-0 defeat against Liverpool last season - when the retired midfielder bluntly claimed Maguire was "s***".
Speaking on Ziggo Sport, Van der Vaart said: "I talk about Harry Maguire so much, so I try to avoid him. But he is really s**t. I have said this so often. I can't get away from the fact Manchester United have paid €90m for him. That's how much he cost!"
Despite Van der Vaart's latest attack, Maguire has started all three of England's World Cup games so far in Qatar and has won plenty of plaudits - despite his domestic struggles.
