FORMER MANCHESTER UNITED star Paul Parker does not believe the claim about club captain Harry Maguire being ill following Tuesday’s night’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Erik ten Hag preferred left-back Luke Shaw at centre-back in the thumping win, which saw Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Fred score, due to a virus that had been affecting a number of players, including Maguire.
Maguire did feature as a late second-half substitute after making himself available for selection.
However, ex-United ace Paul Parker does not believe Ten Hag’s claim about the England hero’s illness.
Parker says if Maguire was ill, being selected on the bench, and then featuring in the second half, “doesn’t make any sense at all”.
He told BonusCodeBets: “First of all we have to say that Luke Shaw did very well playing as a centre half.
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“He barely made a mistake and Manchester United didn’t really miss Harry Maguire.
“But to be honest, I don’t believe the story about Harry Maguire being ill.
“It was a lie and it is totally fabricated. It doesn’t make any sense at all.
“On a cold rainy night in Manchester, there is no way you would ever let an ill man sit on the bench if he wasn’t ready.
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“He was ready but Erik ten Hag preferred to play with Luke Shaw.”
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Maguire has been tipped to reclaim a starting spot at United having lost it at the start of the season with World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane preferred.
The 29-year-old impressed for England at the World Cup, and even received encouragement from boss Ten Hag.
Ten Hag said previously: “I’ve been asked many times if he is good enough to play for me and it is clear he is good enough to play at the highest level.
“He has, for England, almost all the time good games.
“Yes, he had a period in Manchester where he performed badly and then of course there are difficulties.
“But when he is confident in himself, he will put that on the pitch.
“When he is working hard you will get that confidence and you are seeing that with the way he is playing for England
“We want him to bring that back to Manchester with him so he can bring it on the pitch for Manchester United.
“I expect from him, the team knows what they expect from him.
“If he does that he will be a great player for us.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
