Advertisement
On The Ball | Manchester United’s porous defence misses skipper Maguire, with Bailly a nervy stopgap
- United have now lost three out of their last four matches as their Premier League form falls away
- Solskjaer desperate to restore Harry Maguire to his place at the heart of the United defence ahead of Gdansk date with Villarreal
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
If only Manchester United’s central defence could stand as firm as the forbidding wall erected by the club to keep protesting fans out of Old Trafford.
Advertisement
Harry Maguire, usually an every minute of every game mainstay, has been absent for United’s two midweek home matches separated by only a day this week.
Though United’s captain tried to urge his teammates on from the stands this week, United lost three times in a Thursday to Thursday run which encompassed four games at the start of a May that has been anything but merry. Ten goals were conceded.
Advertisement
Roma last Thursday was erratic and considered the poorest performance of the season by the coaching staff, poor in that the players didn’t follow their instructions. It mattered less as United hammered the Italians 6-2 in the first leg to all but reach the Europa League final. Tuesday’s defeat to Leicester can also be explained given 10 changes were made and the side featured two debutants, but “Manchester United 2-4 Liverpool” will never compute in the brains of United fans. Believe it or not, the United players were well up for the game, too.
Advertisement