“Leicester must’ve been laughing all the way to the bank” – Simon Jordan blasts Maguire for not being ‘good enough’ at Manchester United

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has slammed under-fire Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire.

Maguire has endured a terrible season with the Red Devils so far, often copping criticism for his individual errors that have exposed the club's defense. While he hasn't been helped by a lack of defensive structure at Old Trafford, the Englishman has looked bereft of confidence for some time now.

Jordan, in addition to criticizing Maguire, feels that Leicester City would've been incredibly happy after selling the centre-back to United for £80 million in 2019. He said on talkSPORT:

“I think at £80million, Leicester must’ve been laughing all the way to the bank and sent him there in a cab. He’s a decent centre-back, but he isn’t anywhere near the level of centre-backs that have gone in the past.”

Jordan believes Maguire is nowhere near the level of his predecessors at Manchester United or England. He opined:

“If you look at him and you look at people like Ferdinand, Vidic, Terry – if you think Maguire is in the same breath, then there’s something wrong with your eyesight, because he’s not.”

He also feels the central defender is an embodiment of what the Red Devils have now become. Jordan said:

“He is sort of the embodiment of the new Man United: we spend a lot of money on players that aren’t good enough to play for Man United and take us back to the levels where we once were before.”

Maguire was once again heavily criticized following the Red Devils' Round of 16 exit in the UEFA Champions League against Atletico Madrid on 15 March. He was caught pushing forward, which took apart United's defensive shape in the build-up to Atletico's tie-clinching goal.

Ralf Rangnick chose to substitute the 29-year-old in the 84th minute and the move was met by cheers from a section of the Old Trafford faithful. The Red Devils ultimately went on to lose the match 1-0 and exited the Champions League as the Rojiblancos won 2-1 on aggregate.

---

Manchester United have a dismal defensive record this season

It's almost easy to forget how pivotal Maguire was in Manchester United's run to the UEFA Europa League final in the 2020-21 season. He was also excellent for England at Euro 2020 last summer.

However, the Englishman has suffered a steep decline in his performance levels. Some believe his role as club captain is weighing heavily on him, while others think he's a good player who lacks confidence. The numbers don't really make him or Manchester United look better either.

Rangnick's side have kept just nine cleansheets in 40 matches across all competitions this term, despite David de Gea looking excellent in goal recently. They have conceded an alarming 52 goals in those games.

However, Maguire, who has played 31 times and contributed to just seven cleansheets, isn't the only one to blame. Manchester United have managed just two shutouts in nine matches when the Englishman hasn't featured.

The stats indicate that the Red Devils' defensive problems aren't limited to Maguire alone, though he has been quite poor all season. It remains to be seen if they can find a solution to their defensive shambles for the remainder of the season.