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Manchester United endured another disappointing outing in the Premier League last weekend, suffering a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday. Following the defeat, former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny ripped into the trio of Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane and Alex Telles for their poor display at the back.
Lindelof was given the nod to start alongside Varane at the heart of defence, as interim manager Ralf Rangnick dropped captain Harry Maguire to the bench. Unfortunately, there was very little United could do to stop Arsenal, who fired three goals past them at the Emirates Stadium.
Kenny has described Varane, Lindelof and Telles' defending on Saturday as 'diabolical', adding Manchester United missed Maguire in the game. He said that Arsenal's first goal, which came off a rebound after failed clearance attempts from Varane and Telles, wouldn't have happened had Maguire been on the pitch.
The Englishman told Football Insider correspondent Ben Wild in this regard:
“The defending at the weekend was diabolical by the way, Lindelof, Varane, Telles. They really missed Maguire back there. It was an embarrassment; I couldn’t believe what I was seeing."
He added:
"For all the rubbish that has been thrown at him, that first goal doesn’t go in if Maguire is playing. He would have got that cleared away. I know there were other reasons he wasn’t playing, but it just showed how much they miss him when he isn’t there."
Maguire has received a lot of stick in recent weeks owing to his recent performances this season. Although Paddy admits the defender could get better, he doesn't think anyone has been good at Old Trafford this term.
He said:
"Can he (Maguire) get better? Of course he can. Maguire will hold his hands up and say he hasn’t been good enough, but who has? There is no one there who has been good this season. Why can’t Ten Hag get him playing like he does for England? I have touched on this before; Man United are poor throughout the whole team. It’s not just one person.”
What's next for Manchester United?
Following their setback at the weekend, Manchester United will look to return to winning ways when they take on Chelsea in the Premier League on Thursday night. After clashing with the Blues, the Red Devils will meet Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion in their next two fixtures.
As things stand, Ralf Rangnick's men are sixth in the Premier League table with 54 points in 34 games. It remains to be seen if they can pull off a miracle and finish in the top four. They trail fourth-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand, by six points.
