Harry Maguire disagrees with Erik ten Hag after Man Utd defeat

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire voiced his discontent with the team’s ongoing injury concerns following their disappointing 2-1 defeat against Fulham. Despite his sentiments, manager Erik ten Hag rebuffed the notion that injuries were to blame for the loss, emphasizing the need for accountability and performance on the pitch.

The Red Devils suffered a setback when they fell behind to a Calvin Bassey goal in the 65th minute, only for Maguire to salvage a late equalizer in the dying minutes of normal time. However, Alex Iwobi’s dramatic winner in the seventh minute of added time dealt United a bitter blow.

Ten Hag’s squad faced Fulham without the services of Rasmus Hojlund, a key contributor who had been in fine form with six consecutive Premier League goals. Maguire highlighted Hojlund’s absence as indicative of the challenges United have faced throughout the season, suggesting it epitomized their struggles.

Despite the setback, ten Hag remained steadfast in his stance, refusing to allow injuries to serve as an excuse for the team’s subpar performance. He underscored the importance of maintaining accountability and delivering results, regardless of the obstacles faced.

The defeat against Fulham served as a stark reminder of the hurdles United must overcome as they continue to navigate through a tumultuous season plagued by injuries and inconsistent form.

Speaking post-match, Maguire said: “We got hit by the injury to Rasmus, who has been big focal point for us but it is up to us to find the solutions and the areas we need to improve on. He has been our focal point, we can play into him, he holds it up, he starts the press really well, not only that but Marcus has been playing really well on the left.

“It’s the story of our season, we’ve been injury hit – as other teams have – and we need to find a solution quick.” He went on to lament United’s subpar start to the match but felt aggrieved at how the rest of the game panned out.

“Overall on the balance of play we didn’t do enough in the first 60 minutes or so, we started the game not great,” he reasoned. “The first half was pretty even, but when you’re not playing at your best you have to do the basics right and set pieces is part of that.

“We knew they would cause us a threat from those areas and they’ve scored early in the second from what we knew – so that’s disappointing on that aspect. To be a goal behind, I thought our reaction was brilliant especially in the last 30 minutes and when we equalised probably only one team going to win it.

“We were probably naive in the end by throwing too many bodies forward and getting done on the counter attack. We’ve been on a good run of form and coming into the game we were confident.”