"It makes no sense" – Ex-Manchester United star slams Gareth Southgate for disrespecting Erik ten Hag with Harry Maguire decision

Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has hit out at England manager Gareth Southgate for calling up Harry Maguire for his team's upcoming 2024 UEFA Euro qualifiers.

Maguire, 30, has been phased out of Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag's plans for the ongoing 2022-23 season due to his error-prone outings. Since Lisandro Martinez's arrival from Ajax for £57 million last summer, the Englishman has been demoted to a bit-part role despite being the club captain.

A right-footed centre-back blessed with heading and passing, the 53-cap England defender has started just 12 matches out of his 24 overall appearances this campaign. Despite this, Southgate has selected the Sheffield United youth product for his first post-2022 FIFA World Cup squad.

Parker, meanwhile, claimed that Southgate has disrespected Ten Hag by calling up Maguire for England's games against Italy and Ukraine on March 23 and March 26 respectively. Speaking to BonusCodeBets, he said:

"I think that Gareth Southgate has disrespected Erik ten Hag by picking Harry Maguire for the national team. It is very disrespectful and a completely wrong decision. Ten Hag has made it clear that he is not good enough for Manchester United, so how can he be good enough to play for the national team? It makes no sense."

Pinpointing the former Leicester City defender's frailties, Parker added:

"He hasn't played regularly for a long time now and he is struggling defensively every time he gets the opportunity. Martinez was telling him in the previous game that he was defending too deep and I don't get how he can't understand how Ten Hag wants to play."

Insisting that Maguire will fumble up for Southgate, Parker continued:

"But no, he shouldn't have been picked for the national team. Yeah, he has done okay for England so far but at some point, it will go wrong. You need games behind you and you need to know that it's justified that you have been called up for the national team."

Overall, Maguire has made 168 appearances for Manchester United.

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Manchester United identify 25-year-old star as apt Harry Maguire replacement: Reports

According to Foot Mercato, Manchester United's recruitment team sat down with AS Monaco centre-back Axel Disasi and his agents earlier this month to discuss a potential deal. The Ligue 1 club are likely to part ways with the 25-year-old for a fee in the region of £44 million.

A right-footed defender blessed with heading and strength, Disasi shot to fame last year after being called up for France's 2022 FIFA World Cup squad. He featured in three matches, starting one Group D contest.

Overall, the former Stade Reims defender has scored 11 goals and laid out four assists in 119 games across all competitions for Monaco so far.