Harry Maguire made the headlines again as Manchester United were held to a dramatic 1-1 draw by LaLiga side Atletico Bilbao.
After coming from behind to thumped French Ligue 1 side Lens at Old Trafford, Manchester United wrapped up their preseason with a game against Atletico Bilbao.
The game saw United took good control of proceedings and were looking set to cruise to victory before a first half defensive blunder caused by former captain, Harry Maguire, gifted Athletic Bilbao a cheap goal.
Harry Maguire slipped off from marking Oihan Saucet, who quickly paced pass him to find Nico Williams. Nico Williams wasted no time firing pass Tom Heaton to race the Laliga side into the lead before the half-hour mark.
Harry Maguire was blamed for the goal as he failed to clear his lines, allowing Saucet had his way before feeding Nico Williams, who slotted home the curtain-raiser.
While United put up an impressive showing against the visitors, Harry Maguire seemed to have missed another chance to convince Erik Ten Hag of his place in the squad.
Erik Ten applauded Man United’s fightback but blasts ‘stupid goal’ which saw the team trail the visitors early in the first half.
Speaking in post-match press conference, Ten Hag hailed the team’s resilience and fighting spirit but was unimpressed by the defensive blunders that led to the first punch.
According to him, the team possesses character, fighting back to earn a deserved equaliser but shouldnt have given away such a cheap goal.
“It was a good and impressive performance by the team. They showed character and resilience but the goal was unacceptable and stupid.”
After being recently axed from his role as Man United captain, Harry Maguire Manchester United’s chances in Erik Ten Hag’s squad cannot be more doubted.
He started only 16 Premier League appearances for the club last season, starting only 8 matches and has dropped down the pecking order in Erik Ten Hag’s defense options for Manchester United.
Manchester United new goalie Andre Onana screamed at the England defender when his mistake nearly saw Sebastian Haller score for Borussia Dortmund in Manchester United’s 3-2 defeat in a preseason friendly.
The blunder against Atletico Bilbao will obviously dampened his chances of breaking into Ten Hag’s lineup in the coming season.
He has been linked with a move away from the club but Manchester United are only ready to part ways with the England defender on the right offer.
They have slammed a £50m asking price on his head and have rejected a £20m bid from West Ham. Maguire is expected to continue on the bench before being finally as he faces stiff competition from the likes of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez who are Erik Ten Hag’s choice center-backs.
Meanwhile, Manchester United fought their way back into the game as Facundo Pellistri scored stoppage-time equaliser to bring the game to a 1-1 draw.
The Red Devils will kickoff the 2023/24 Premier League campaign hosting Wolves at Old Trafford on 14 August 2023.
