Harry Maguire is being booed by his own fans in Manchester United‘s friendly game against Crystal Palace this afternoon.
The Red Devils captain is clearly not Mr Popular among the Man Utd fan base right now, having performed well below expectations in his time at Old Trafford.
Maguire looked a big talent during his time at former club Leicester City, but he’s perhaps not quite at the level required to be a big hit for someone like United.
Erik ten Hag has stood by Maguire in recent public interviews, however, insisting that the England international will still be his captain this season.
Lisandro Martinez has joined from Ajax, giving Ten Hag more options at the back, and it will be interesting to see what happens with Maguire.
For now, there are very audible jeers from the United support whenever Maguire gets on the ball, so the 29-year-old’s confidence is sure to take a hit.
This, combined with Cristiano Ronaldo’s ongoing absence from the club’s pre-season tour, shows just what a toxic situation Ten Hag has inherited and what a difficult challenge it’s going to be for the Dutch tactician to get this fallen giant back to where it wants to be.
For now, Anthony Martial’s goal has given United a 1-0 lead against Crystal Palace.