Harry Maguire leaves Villa Park in plastic boot after Man Utd star helped off pitch by club doctor

HARRY MAGUIRE left Villa Park in a plastic boot after being helped off the pitch by a club doctor.

The England defender was removed at half-time after he was handed a shock Manchester United start for Sunday’s all-important Premier League clash, which ended 0-0

Maguire’s knee looked to have locked during a Villa set piece on the brink of half-time.

The back of his sock was completely ripped, with a huge hole showing his full calf as keeper Andre Onana assisted him to the sidelines.

Maguire was holding his calf before he was helped off by three members of Man Utd’s medical staff after referee Robert Jones’ whistle.

And the Telegraph claims the England centre-back left Villa Park in a protective boot to leave Erik ten Hag sweating over his fitness.

Maguire’s counterpart Jonny Evans also looked to be struggling in the first half after a crunching challenge on Leon Bailey – but went onto win Man of the Match.

Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui were subsequently subbed at the interval, with Matthijs de Ligt and Victor Lindelof brought on as replacements.

Maguire also picked up a yellow card for leaning into Ollie Watkins’ face with his arm in the 36th minute and will now undergo tests to determine the extent of his problem.

The 31-year-old missed Euro 2024 amid ongoing issues with his calf.

And Man Utd now face an anxious wait over their former captain, who scored a last-gasp equaliser for Ten Hag’s side in a 3-3 draw with Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.

Ten Hag is under mounting pressure to save his job following a nightmare start to the season.

SunSport reported this week that the Dutchman had two games to persuade Old Trafford chiefs of his ability.

But with Maguire off, Villa stepped up the intensity after a pretty tame first 45 minutes from both sides.

Marcus Rashford was lucky to somehow escape a second yellow for lunge in on Bailey shortly before he was hauled off in the 64th minute.

Bruno Fernandes came closest to scoring for the away side, with his powerful free-kick strike smacking off the crossbar inside 68 minutes.

But despite the obvious defensive personnel changes, the Red Devils defended valiantly – although both sides showed a real lack of quality going forward.

Ten Hag’s crunch clash ended goalless, with the Dutchman’s fate out of his hands for now as Man Utd sit 10 points behind leaders Liverpool in 14th.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk