Maguire suffers fresh Man Utd embarrassment as under-fire star targeted again
Harry Maguire endured an afternoon to forget as he made a costly mistake and received a chorus of boos - despite grabbing a late assist in Manchester United's 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao.
The 30-year-old was named in the starting XI for the Red Devils' final pre-season outing as Erik ten Hag named a completely different side to the one that swept Lens aside on Saturday. Victor Lindelof, Jadon Sancho, Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek also featured for United in Dublin.
After a relatively even start at the Arriva Stadium, Bilbao took the lead in the 29th minute - and they were dealt a helping hand from Maguire in the process. The Red Devils centre-back gave the ball away carelessly inside his own half and Bilbao pounced, with Oihan Sancet threading the ball through to Nico Williams who slotted home.
It was a composed finish from Williams as he coolly dinked the ball over the onrushing Tom Heaton. And the United fans inside the stadium were not happy with Maguire as the England international received boos following his mistake and handing Bilbao a chance to take the lead.
Maguire continued to struggle throughout the game, as did United who threw everything at Bilbao but just could not break them down. That was up until injury-time when Maguire provided an assist for United's leveller. He headed the ball down to Facundo Pellistri to fire home.
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The result ended United's pre-season campaign as Ten Hag gears his team up for their Premier League opener against Wolves on August 14. The Red Devils secured a 3-1 win over Lens on Saturday thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford, Antony and Casemiro - after Andre Onana's error.
Harry Maguire struggled for Manchester United against Athletic Bilbao (Getty Images)As for Maguire, he is set to start the season as United's fourth choice centre-back with Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Lindelof ahead of him. He has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer after he was stripped of the club's captaincy, with Bruno Fernandes being named as the new skipper.
West Ham are said to be among those interested in signing Maguire, although Ten Hag is keen to keep the centre-back and keep his squad as strong as possible. Everton are also thought to be keen but would only be interested in a loan deal and would not be able to afford Maguire's £200,000-a-week wages.
Maguire issued an emotional statement last month, after he had been stripped of the captaincy. In the post, he said: "After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain. He outlined his reasons to me and whilst I’m personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt."
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