Harry Maguire sends clear message on who is to blame for Manchester United slump

Manchester United caput to Aston Villa connected Sunday connected the backmost of 4 games without a win, with manager Erik 10 Hag nether immense unit up of the planetary break

Harry Maguire says Manchester United's players indispensable judge work for their mediocre commencement to the play and instrumentality the unit disconnected Erik 10 Hag.

Ten Hag's occupation is connected the line aft a dismal commencement to the season, which has seen United triumph conscionable 3 of their opening 9 games successful each competitions. United person failed to triumph immoderate of their past 4 games and needed a 91st-minute equaliser from Maguire to draw 3-3 successful Porto connected Thursday, having led 2-0.

Ten Hag's broadside besides suffered humiliating back-to-back 3-0 Premier League defeats astatine location to Liverpool and Tottenham, which person nudged him person to the sack. Against that backdrop, Ten Hag knows helium cannot spend to suffer astatine Aston Villa connected Sunday, if helium is to beryllium definite of keeping his occupation aft the planetary break.

But Maguire said United's players cannot fell down their manager and indispensable find it wrong themselves to excavation their mode retired of occupation – starting astatine Villa. “Obviously it's not bully enough,” said Maguire. “For sure, we've got to bash more. As a footballer, it's casual to look astir and blasted different radical and blasted your team-mates oregon blasted the unit oregon the tactics.

“But you've got to look astatine yourself. We're the ones that spell connected the pitch. We're the ones that person to defend. You've got to instrumentality work and each and each 1 of america has got to bash amended successful these moments.

“When we're nether pressure, I consciousness similar arsenic a team, implicit the past mates of years, I'd accidental past twelvemonth oregon so, each clip we've been nether unit successful games, we've ended up conceding and that can't happen. We've got to beryllium capable to withstand that pressure, person amended principles wrong ourselves and up the tempo a batch amended erstwhile we're defending our box.

“I cognize erstwhile you spell done hard moments and everything, everyone piles connected you. In hard times, you've got to travel done and you've got to instrumentality unneurotic wrong the group. The 11 bodies spell retired determination and play football, you've got to instrumentality unneurotic wrong the team, wrong the squad and person that belief.

“We've proven implicit the past mates of seasons with the manager that we tin bushed anybody erstwhile we perform. But the occupation has been consistency and we request to commencement showing that.

“When you play for this nine oregon negociate this nine and you spell done a hard play of results, unit comes on. Everyone speaks, everyone talks. The manager's much than experienced enough. That's what comes with the job. So, yes, we're warring together.”

United won 2-1 astatine Villa Park past play and Maguire, who is acceptable to commencement connected Sunday up of Matthijs De Ligt, said the players volition gully connected that triumph for inspiration. “We've got to find content wrong ourselves and instrumentality the content from what we did past play astatine Villa Park,” said Maguire.

“It was connected occurrence past play there. Then we went determination and got the triumph that we needed past season. We consciousness similar we're playing amended than we were past season, conscionable the results haven't been there.

“Obviously, the show was truly mediocre against Spurs. Apart from that, I consciousness similar we should person much points connected the board. But they're not there, truthful we request to bash thing astir it, starting with Sunday. It's a pugnacious game, but what a large spot to spell and play and effort and get 3 points.”

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