Man United and AC Milan faced off against each other in the Europa League Round of 16 this week and Harry Maguire is one of the players who has come under scrutiny after the 1-1 draw.
Milan managed to score a late late equalizer and this away goal has changed the whole complexion of the tie. While young Amad Diallo scored Man United’s only goal of the match, but it was Harry Maguire who had perhaps the clearest chance of the match.
The centre-back failed to put the ball into the back of the net from point blank range and this miss could prove real costly if Milan manage to swing the second leg in their favour.
Speaking about the missed chances during the match, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was quick to admit that failing to score in tough European matches could have it’s repercussions.
“It’s a decent-sized chance that to be fair!” the United boss said of Maguire’s miss. “I think the keeper gets his hand to it and changes the direction of it. It’s a reaction and unfortunately it hits the inside of the post and goes out.
“That’s a big moment. Dan [James] had a big moment in the second half, he could have slid instead of trying to score. We’re here, we know where we are and we need to go there and score. We’ve done that many a time in Europe.”
One good thing to see is the Man United captain has chosen not to hide behind his teammates and has come out to face the criticism head on.
Maguire told MUTV: “I don’t know how it didn’t go in, I’ve got to score, I’ve got to find more contact.
Harry Maguire cost Manchester United 80 million pounds pic.twitter.com/M3zaBKrJIG
— Alcânsauce (@PassLikeThiago2) March 11, 2021
“I was on the stretch, tried to react quickly, but I’ve got to find a way to put it into the back of the net. There are no excuses there.”
This statement will obviously please his manager but Harry Maguire will have to pull up his socks and lead by example during the second leg at the San Siro.
Despite being a massive physical presence inside the opponents’ penalty area during corners and set-pieces, the centre-back has scored only two goals this season for Man United in the Premier League. And maybe this is something that he will need to work upon while he is away on national duty during the summer.
