Lee Sharpe tells ‘good’ Man Utd player he must leave to ‘rebrand himself’ after ‘farcical’ criticism
Man Utd duo Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire
Former Manchester United player Lee Sharpe has urged Harry Maguire to join another club after falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford.
The England international was relinquished of the Red Devil’s captaincy in July and was heavily linked with a move elsewhere throughout the summer.
West Ham United came closest to signing Maguire. Reports suggest that they had a £30m bid accepted for him, but Maguire snubbed their interest as he wanted to fight for his place with Man Utd. He has only played 116 minutes of Premier League football so far this season, however.
Sharpe believes it’s time for Maguire to move on from the Red Devils for the benefit of his career.
“I’m not sure he can carry on playing for United because the stick has got a little bit too heavy and gone on a little bit too long,” Sharpe told Express Sport.
“Maybe a fresh start at another club to sort of rebrand himself, if you like, would be more beneficial than staying at United.
“He’s obviously way down the pecking order at United. We’ve seen Luke Shaw play centre-half ahead of him at times.
“So I think the best thing for him would be to move on, but he seems strongly enough-minded and stubborn enough to stick around and try to fight for his place, so fair play to him.”
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Lee Sharpe: Maguire criticism is ‘unprecedented’
Sharpe also said that he sympathised with Maguire for the ‘unprecedented’ criticism he has faced from the press and social media.
“I feel sorry for the bloke, to be fair, if I’m honest. The amount of criticism from the press, the media and social media has been unprecedented.
“You don’t turn into a bad player overnight. I know he’s made a few high-profile errors, but I still think he’s a good player. I still think he can defend, and I still think he’s good on the ball.
“It’s become a little bit farcical at times with the media following and coverage he’s getting every time he plays a game. They’re just waiting for him to make a mistake, and every mistake gets blown out of proportion.”
With that in mind, perhaps a move away from Man Utd in January would be the best thing for Maguire’s career, especially if he wants to keep his place in England’s starting XI for the European Championships next year.
Everton and Tottenham have been linked with the 30-year-old in recent weeks, so it will be interesting to see if they make a concrete move for him in January.
