- Ex-England boss comes to Manchester United centre-back’s defence
- Managed for over 30 years
- Taken charge of the likes of Everton, Sunderland, and Newcastle
Former England manager Sam Allardyce has stepped in to defend Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire, arguing that criticism of the defender has drifted into the excessive.
The 71-year-old—who took charge of England for a single match before his exit amid allegations he offered advice on bypassing FA rules around third-party ownership while negotiating a £400,000 deal—turned his focus to Maguire, suggesting current manager Thomas Tuchel has sought to diminish the United defender.
Meanwhile, following his first England call-up since the 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on 7 September 2024, Maguire featured in both the 1-1 draw with Uruguay and the 1-0 defeat to Japan.
It was not enough for Tuchel, however, with the German claiming:
“I haven’t changed my mind, but I see other players I like to start for us, I see other players ahead with a different profile. I see Ezri Konsa ahead, I see Marc Guehi ahead. It’s no secret. I see Trevoh Chalobah on the level of mobility was slightly ahead of him. Also John Stones, but he had injuries, so he needed to come to camp.”
Maguire isn’t guaranteed a place in the England squad at this summer’s World Cup. But his displays during the international break would make Tuchel look rather foolish to leave him at home.
Allardyce: They Try to Belittle Him
On the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce launched a staunch defense of Maguire. The former Bolton Wanderers boss alluded to Tuchel’s recent comments and suggested the world’s most expensive defender has ‘been too nice’:
“I mean, all the s— he had to put up with at Man United, and now they try to belittle him, particularly the manager [Thomas Tuchel] and his time, and then what he’s come and proven now by his performances,”
He added:
“And we’re talking about two seasons here. He’s been left out [of] the [England] team. He’s lost his captaincy; he’s lost his England place. And you haven’t heard it. As a professional, you’ve got to admire him.“
Maguire has endured constant mockery throughout his United career. His £80m price tag resulted in him being under the microscope, especially when club captain.
Allardyce continued:
“And sometimes you wonder about, he’s been too nice. He should be getting out there banging that door and saying, ‘Well, if I ain’t here, where am I going? I want to go and play football. But he’s had a really big cost to the decisions of the managers at Man United.”
He added:
“That people have criticised him unfairly. Yes, some of the performances are, yes, he lacks a bit of pace, we all know that. But so [do] many, many a player. And about [the] lack of pace is about how quick[ly] you are in your mind. You know, the first five yards in the mind, we all say, we all talk about it.”
Maguire is in his seventh year at United and is one of the Reds’ most important and consistent players. He’s appeared 20 times across competitions this season and been faultless other than a controversial sending off in a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth last month.
Can Maguire Make the England team?
Maguire must have felt like he had gone from hero to zero. After being called up by Tuchel for the first time in 18 months, he will have been convinced he was back to his best.
But his sending-off for bringing Junior Kroupi down in the box in United’s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth will have brought him back to ground level, before Tuchel’s comments made him feel even lower.
There is still a chance for Maguire, but a slim one. Tuchel said:
“If I have to name it tomorrow, we have a lot of injuries, he could be in it. Who else would be there in the centre of defence?”
But as it stands, Maguire’s hopes of travelling with the squad to North America for the World Cup are uncertain. At the age of 32, it seems like the Manchester United defender might well have played his last major international tournament.
