Paul Merson has accused Ralf Rangnick of making Harry Maguire "a scapegoat" after the Manchester United captain was left out of the team that fell to a 3-1 defeat against Arsenal.
The United captain has endured a torrid week after he and his family were subjected to a sick bomb threat. And Rangnick cited Maguire's "tough week" as the reason for the 29-year-old's absence on Saturday afternoon.
Not for the first time this season, United produced a calamitous defensive performance in the defeat to Arsenal, who killed off any linger hopes United may have had of reaching the top-four. Cristiano Ronaldo fired Rangnick's side back into the game after Nuno Tavares and Bukayo Saka had nudged Arsenal into a two-goal lead, but Granit Xhaka made the points safe in the 70th minute.
And in the aftermath of United's season-ending defeat, Merson has stuck the boot in on Rangnick for his decision to snub Maguire for the crunch clash. The former Arsenal man insisted that Maguire would have wanted to play the game rather than sitting on the sidelines.
He told Sky Sports: “Sometimes you want to get out on the pitch and play football. You want to get out there. That’s your solitude, as soon as you cross that white line, you concentrate as a professional footballer. I found that myself, and I think Harry Maguire would rather play football.
"We’ve seen it with Cristiano Ronaldo [after the tragic death of his newborn son earlier this week]. Ronaldo would rather play football. It’s a release for that hour and a half, and I think he’ll be gutted, Maguire. He’ll want to play. He’s been made a bit of a scapegoat, if I’m being honest. You could have dropped every single player from the other night against Liverpool. For me, he’ll be disappointed.”
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Despite Rangnick's insistence that the decision to leave Maguire out was purely down to his difficult week off the pitch, Merson refuted those claims. Maguire has been woefully out of form this term and was scrutinised after producing yet another under-par performance in the mauling against Liverpool in mid-week.
And Merson was adamant that Rangnick chose to leave Maguire out for footballing reasons rather than the aftermath of the bomb threat that he received this week - even if he wouldn't admit it.
Merson added: “I think it’s for footballing reasons he’s been left out today - 100%. If it’s not footballing reasons, why take him? Let him stay at home with his family and his partner. Why take him and sit him on the bench?”
