Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has raised a huge question, particularly this season, as to whether or not he’s the man who is capable of taking the club back to heights of European football.
Solskjaer has faced a lot of criticism in recent weeks and one gripe, which has arguably cost him considerably on the pitch in recent weeks, is his hesitation to drop Harry Maguire.
Since coming in as United boss, Solskjaer has made it his number one priority to bring back the way in which Sir Alex Ferguson operated during his time at Old Trafford.
But one thing Sir Alex had made sure of is that no player would remain in that dressing room if they felt as if they were bigger than the club. Keeping players within the starting eleven when they are playing so poorly could conceivably give an opportunity for this mindset to breed.
In the summer, the United manager made it abundantly clear having a big squad is imperative and there leaves little room for argument there, but the confusing element is why Solskjaer isn’t making the most out of his squad.
Maguire has not only come back from a recent injury but also appears to be suffering from burnout which is understandable given he played a full year of football with club and country. Although Maguire is a capable defender, and has shown that throughout large parts of his career, he’s been well off the mark in recent games and, for his own sake, should be taken out of the team.
But Solskjaer has continued to play him in every single match.
Eric Bailly showed exactly how well he can play in the 2-2 draw away to Atalanta in midweek. Does the mind begin to wonder why he wasn’t selected to play in the 4-2 dismantling at the King Power Stadium a few weeks ago?
Instead, Maguire was selected even though he seemed to be still nursing an injury which led to the English international having an incredibly poor match.
Victor Lindelof can also feel hard done to.
No player is irreplaceable and Maguire, arguably, should be taken out of the team so he can focus on returning to full fitness and also so he realises his place in the team is not guaranteed.
Granted, it’s not easy to make big decisions like this, especially when they involve your club captain. But the captain should be leading by example and if he’s not performing up to standard, he shouldn't be immune from being taken out of the side.
Although the focus is on Maguire’s poor performances, problems at the club naturally gravitate towards the manager.
What do you think of Maguire’s performances? Follow our United on my Mind trends writer Anil Kandola and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
