24 January 2023 , 14:18
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Troy Deeney has claimed Harry Maguire's agent called him after he criticised the Manchester United - and told him he "can't do that".
Birmingham City captain Deeney, 34, made the extraordinary allegation during an appearance on a podcast with former Watford team-mate Ben Foster. The incident is said to have happened in 2020 after Deeney questioned Maguire's form on a radio show.
"I was at Watford when his agent called me," recalled Deeney. "I was speaking about the leadership, about Harry Maguire, about David De Gea - about all the senior guys, why is it always Paul Pogba because it was always him getting battered early doors.
"That's all I said. I get to training and my phone is ringing from a number I don't know. The same number called two or three times so I thought, 'There must be a problem here'.
"I picked it up. It's Harry Maguire's agent, 'You can't do this, you can't do that. You wouldn't say it to Harry's face'. And I was like, 'Hold on, one second, let's rewind. I have said this, I didn't say that. I would say it to Harry's face because I've got no problem'."
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Deeney then claimed he called Maguire to see if he was annoyed at his comments. Speaking to Foster's Fozcast podcast, he added: "I called him and he has no clue what's going on. I phoned the agent back saying, 'Listen mate, please don't phone me giving it the big one because I'm not that guy and you're going to have a problem you don't want'.
Troy Deeney has recalled an alleged encounter with Harry Maguire's agent (Getty Images)What do you make of the Troy Deeney's claim? Let us know in the comments below!
"It made me realise that my voice was powerful and penetrating. I just said 'what about the leadership' and it made this super agent come out of his little nest and say, 'Hold up Troy, we're taking a battering here'."
Deeney went on to say: "To be fair to Harry, he said to me, 'I don't know what all that's about'. I said, 'It's not a problem, but the way he phoned and the aggression he was having'. A younger me would have taken that much more personally. This is what I said - I'll tell you to your face, I've got no problem."
The alleged call happened after Deeney told talkSPORT: "I can understand why people talk about Pogba, but why is no one going at Harry Maguire? Why hasn't he faced much criticism? Is he not the captain? Is he not the guy who is meant to lead the ship?"
Maguire has faced heavy criticism for his performances during the last 18 months. He was dropped by Erik ten Hag earlier this season and finds himself behind Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and even makeshift centre-back Luke Shaw in the pecking order.
As exclusively revealed by Mirror Football, United are considering selling Maguire just three-and-a-half years after paying £80million to sign him from Leicester. West Ham are interested in signing the England international on a five-month loan deal this month.
Mirror Football has contacted Maguire's representatives for comment. There is no suggestion that Maguire, 29, was directly involved in the alleged incident.