Harry Maguire left Rashford "fed up" and 'called Fred idiot' in Man Utd spats

31 July 2023 , 11:18

533     0

Harry Maguire left Rashford "fed up" and 'called Fred idiot' in Man Utd spats

To many, Harry Maguire has gone beyond a calamitous figure of ridicule and is now someone many just feel sorry for.

The Manchester United defender had the white-hot glare of the spotlight on him from the moment he arrived at Old Trafford and understandably so. The Red Devils forked out £80million to land him and pry him away from Leicester in 2019, making him the most expensive defender in the world.

To only increase the pressure further, Maguire was handed the role of club captain as soon as he stepped through the door. History now shows it was pressure the England international simply couldn't deal with. Errors were far too often and when they did occur they were often spectacularly slapstick.

All of this led to Maguire becoming the butt of many jokes from fans and pundits alike, but the true measure of when things have hit rock bottom is surely when teammates start turning on a player in public.

Of course, in elite-level football tempers often flare and angry words are exchanged. Here are some of the most notable Maguire-inspired meltdowns.

Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash

Onana's fury

Onana wasn't afraid to read Maguire the riot act (ESPN)

Andre Onana has only been at United all of three weeks but clearly already feels at home enough to give Maguire a piece of his mind. After Borussia Dortmund broke and had near-enough the freedom of United's penalty area due to some shoddy defending, Onana was forced into action and pulled off a neat save.

Without a moment's thought, as soon as the attack had been thwarted, Onana jumped to his feet and sprinted aggressively at Maguire, screaming at the defender in the process as the shot-stopper was clearly furious with how he'd been left exposed. Maguire didn't even seem to offer up much of a response, instead just trudging away in the other direction.

Rashford's rant

Harry Maguire was the subject of a foul-mouthed Marcus Rashford outburst

Marcus Rashford is widely known as one of the nicest players in Premier League football and even he let his rage get the better of him after a run-in with Maguire back in 2021.

When the now-former United captain expressed his frustration as Rashford was flagged offside whilst attempting to get on the end of a header, Maguire was met with the forward shouting: "What do you want me to do?" Maguire was quick to reply: "F*****g get back onside," but Rashford delivered the final blow as he bit back: "Shut the f*** up, f****** k*******."

The on-pitch bust-up led to suggestions that Rashford was "fed up" with life at United from BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Pat Nevin, who claimed: "Marcus Rashford's body language just doesn't look right, it's noticeable with somebody like him as he always has good body language, he's generally always up for it.

"I don't know... is he a bit fed up being stuck on the left wing? Does he want to play a bit more central? Who knows."

Ronaldo's captaincy row

Harry Maguire had been told to hand Cristiano Ronaldo the Manchester United captain armband by many

After having it stripped of him recently and seeing the armband handed to Bruno Fernandes, some may have already forgotten Maguire was once United captain.

Following Cristiano Ronaldo's triumphant return at the start of the 21/22 campaign, it was widely reported that the United dressing room was divided over who should enjoy the role of captain.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had experience being a captain at both Real Madrid and Juventus, while also commanding an immense amount of respect from his United colleagues.

United legend Gary Neville claimed that Maguire was left feeling "inferior" as a result of Ronaldo's presence and was not happy with the way the topic caused problems within the squad.

Man Utd deadline day live updates as Sabitzer completes loan move

The Fred mist descends

Harry Maguire and Fred have clashed in the past

Much like Maguire, Fred has taken his fair share of pelters over the course of his United career and has often been written off as not good enough for a club of the Red Devils' stature.

And yet, even he lost his rag with the defender during a 0-0 draw away at Leeds two years ago. With no crowds inside Elland Road because of the pandemic, Maguire's row with Fred was picked up by pitch-side microphones with relative ease.

Though it sounded like Maguire had called the Brazil international a "f*****g idiot" after Fred had complained about an error from the defender, then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was quick to quash any talk of a feud.

"We have got a group that demands a lot of each other," the United legend explained. "The standard is high, both on training and in a game, it is not just about being a nice guy."

Maguire hits back

Harry Maguire blasted Aaron Wan-Bissaka for giving the ball away

The defender is not always the subject of complaints, Maguire has been known to dish it out on a couple of occasions - just ask Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

The United right-back had given the ball away one too many times for Maguire's liking, which prompted the centre-back to shout: "F****** tidy up, stop giving the f****** ball away!" This situation in particular shows that Maguire can hold his own when required and crucially, when it is not him making the mistakes.

Josh O'Brien