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Giorgio Chiellini says he’s SORRY about Harry Maguire as Man United are ‘demanding too much from him just because they paid £80million’ – with the Italian icon under fire hailing England as a centre-back as a ‘good player’
- Harry Maguire lost his Man United place after a poor start to the season
- Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez quickly formed a good partnership
- Gareth Southgate has retained confidence with Maguire in his last England squad
- Italian great Giorgio Chiellini has jumped in defense of his fellow defender
- Chiellini says it’s not Maguire’s fault he carries an £80m price tag
- Click here for all the latest 2022 World Cup news and updates
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Under pressure, Harry Maguire has found an unlikely ally in the form of Italy’s great Giorgio Chiellini, who believes too much is expected of the England defender.
Maguire has lost his place in Manchester United’s defense after struggles early in the season, with manager Erik ten Hag taking his captain out to create a partnership between Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.
However, the 29-year-old, a regular target of fan criticism, is trusted by England boss Gareth Southgate and was included in the latest squad despite losing his United place.
Harry Maguire lost his place in the Manchester United defense after a poor start to the season
But the England defender has found an ally in Italian defensive legend Giorgio Chiellini
Chiellini and Maguire – and Raheem Sterling – battle for the ball in the Euro 2020 final
And veteran defender Chiellini, who retired from international football after this summer’s Finalissima against Argentina, is coming to defend Maguire.
“I am sad about Maguire’s situation, because he is a good player,” said Chiellini The times.
“They ask too much of him. Just because they paid £80million for him, should he be the best in the world every game? It’s not right.
‘The value of the market depends on many aspects over which you have no influence. It’s not your fault.
‘He and [John] Stones are a good duo. Okay, Maguire may not be Rio Ferdinand, but he’s good enough.
‘It doesn’t help with this situation’ [England] to do the best. If you want to win the World Cup, it’s impossible to do that with some problems with the protagonists, and Maguire is definitely one of the most important players in the team.”
New United manager Erik ten Hag supported his captain during the preparation, but then dropped him
Maguire retains English manager Gareth Southgate’s confidence with World Cup ahead
Maguire is likely to be involved when England face Italy on Friday night in the UEFA Nations League at San Siro in Milan.
The Three Lions close their Nations League group at home to Germany on Monday evening and realistically need to win both games to avoid relegation to League B of the competition.
Chiellini, 38, captained Italy at the European Championship last year, when they defeated England on penalties at Wembley.
He left Juventus in the summer to move to Major League Soccer team Los Angeles FC, which allowed them to win the Western Conference by a significant margin.
Chiellini, 38, left Juventus to move to Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer over the summer
Maguire started United’s first two games of the season, but a 2-1 home defeat to Brighton and a 4-0 thrashing at Brentford saw him lose his place.
Ten Hag’s side went on to win their next four Premier League games with a central defensive partnership of Varane and Martinez.
Maguire played in the UEFA Europa League group opener against Real Sociedad, which United lost 1-0 before returning to the bench for the 2-0 win over Moldovan team FC Sheriff.