Carragher: Maguire is a scapegoat for a range of issues at United Players need to learn to accept criticism

Liverpool star Carragher commented on the plight of Manchester United defender Maguire in a column in the Daily Telegraph today.

Here's what Carragher's column says:

For clubs and teams, people's perceptions of Maguire have become very bad, too bad to be true. The sympathy of teammates and managers does not change the fact that Maguire must fight for his future. He alone can change that. Maguire must prove he has enough talent and mental strength to stay at United at the end of the season and continue to serve as england's defence pillar at the World Cup.

On Tuesday night, he was puzzlingly treated like some England fans at Wembley. Maguire performed well in the England national team. Before last summer's European Championship, Gary Neville and I were asked on the show who was England's most important player, I chose Kane and Neville chose Maguire. We are not arguing about this. This is the result of a coin toss. Maguire's performance after re-entry into england's squad proved his point of view in the national team that he was as important as Kane.

He made it into the European Cup squad alongside Italy's Bonucci, conceding just five goals in Maguire's 19 recent appearances for the national team. Maguire wasn't as good as Terry and Ferdinand. None of the current England centre-backs are like that. But Maguire has outpaced them at the national team level and he is crucial for England to reach the World Cup semi-finals and The European Championship finals.

In the UEFA Nations League final three years ago, it became clear that England fans were very fond of Maguire. Many of them sang, "He is our own man." "Recalling how Maguire went from being a fan to a player who fought for the fans on the pitch, it seems like he's the most admirable hero in the country, and his performances prove it. If some England fans are starting to criticise Maguire now, the players' performance at Manchester United gives them reason.

I insist that before this season, Maguire played very well at Manchester United. From the moment he joined for £80m, it was expected that Maguire would play Manchester United like Van Dijk for Liverpool. That didn't help. United paid a high price for completing the transfer by signing an international-level defender instead of a world-class one. Now, whenever United lose, the murmur of discontent has turned into a murmur of anger.

Maguire wants to change the situation, but the difficulty is his lack of authority in the dressing room. Since last summer, Maguire has been examining himself in the debate over who should be captain with C. Ronaldo. Instead of re-establishing his leadership, he fell behind. This has affected his performance. Coupled with the demands on the modern defender, he has been struggling.

Top coaches want to bring the back line forward, and so will the manager who took over manchester United this summer. But that's not for Maguire, especially given the many surprises in Manchester United, who are often exposed to opposing strikers. That would be a problem for him to move forward. For a centre-back, it's easier to hide his weaknesses in a team with a deep defensive line. It's very difficult to be at a high post and Maguire has become a scapegoat for a range of United issues.

Before the international competition, Maguire posted a picture of the Three Lions on social media. As you can see from the lines, he seems to see being selected for england as an opportunity to escape. Criticism at Old Trafford has spread to Wembley and it would be a disservice to him.

England's players are often verbally abused by fans from their own side, including some of the greatest players in the country. John Barnes, Beckham and Rooney are all people who have been hurt for different reasons. What makes them different is that the more criticism they receive when they play against the national team, the more the fans of their club love them. Barnes, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney found opportunities to escape at their respective clubs and successfully punched the skeptics in the face with world-class performances. For Maguire, he had no such comfort.

Only a tenacious character can recover from it, but this challenge is common in professional football. Many of us who play at the highest level have had this experience of feeling like we're in the middle of a crossroads and knowing that we have to change our minds about what kind of player we are and what kind of player we can be. Maguire is not the first player to suffer a negative impact on his own court. Nor will it be the last.

When I retired from Liverpool, people spoke fondly about the singing of Liverpool fans, wishing they had "a Carragher team". I assure you that it was at the end of my career. Ten years ago, I was at a low point in my game against Fulham at Anfield. The club's connection with Finnan was passed on for 6 months. He was seen by the fans as the attacking defenders liverpool needed, or rather, my enhanced version, because I moved from left-back to right-back. When Finnan ran to the Liverpool fans to throw the ball, there was a corner of the pitch that stood up and applauded him. It feels like some of my fans are sending a message that they want Finnan to be in the team and I should be eliminated.

Criticizing fans is never an option. They pay, they sit there and watch the game, and they have the right to voice their opinions, no matter how much it hurts you. As players, we have to learn to accept applause and ridicule. In this case, there are two options; accept defeat, go to a place where you feel you might be appreciated, or keep fighting and get the fans back on you.

The following summer, Finnan joined and I eventually switched to centre-back. It was the one that made me happiest in the personal battles I won. All Maguire has to do is make what has happened in recent months an obstacle in his career. I believe that at the end of his career, he will reflect on this difficult experience as a key point. How he deals with it now will determine whether he can help the club and national team revive in the future.

in Justin