Gary Neville and Gary Lineker have underlined Manchester United's dependence on Harry Maguire after a poor defensive display against Liverpool.
The England defender has started every Premier League match for the club this season but has been ruled out for the rest of the domestic campaign with ankle ligament damage.
That injury, picked up at Villa Park on Sunday, has left Maguire sweating on his fitness ahead of the Europa League final and the upcoming European Championship.
Without Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly struggled against Liverpool, conceding three scrappy goals. MEN Sport understands that signing a new centre-back is a priority for United in the summer transfer window.
Former United skipper Neville claimed that the quality behind Maguire is the weakest in the entire squad.
"I played with players at Manchester United, individual players like Roy Keane in the studio, if they don't play, it unnerves the whole team," Neville told Sky Sports.
"The lack of Harry Maguire's presence in that defence is clear for all to see. People question 'how good is Harry Maguire', you only see it when he is not playing.
"I think tonight they have a very frantic defence. It's a real problem, it unnerves you when you lose a steadying presence and influence.
"I know Bruno Fernandes has been sensational at Manchester United but I think he (Maguire) is the one player where the drop in depth is so big. He's trying to urge them on from the stands, which is a difficult thing to do."
Writing on Twitter, Lineker added: £Sometimes people don’t realise how good you are until you’re not playing.
" @HarryMaguire93 is a case in point. @ManUtd looking shambolic defensively, with and without the ball, in his absence."
