"People jump on the bandwagon" - Gabby Agbonlahor defends Manchester United star from critics despite poor form

Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has come to Manchester United captain Harry Maguire's defense. He stated that people "jump on the bandwagon" in regards to the centre-back.

The 29-year-old defender has encountered a problematic season where he has been heavily scrutinized for his performances. Fans and pundits have lamented the defender throughout this campaign, with Manchester United's woeful season being somewhat attributed to his poor form at times.

But Agbonlahor has moved to defend Maguire. He picked out a moment during United's UEFA Champions League loss against Atletico Madrid where Maguire collided with Cristiano Ronaldo during a corner.

He told TalkSPORT (via PunditArena):

“With Maguire, people jump on the bandwagon, especially on social media I see it a lot where something might happen in the game. I think there was an incident in one of the last games where he accidentally headbutted Ronaldo on a corner and everyone makes a reel out of it, everyone’s laughing. He’s a player that people want to pick on because he’s not been at his best form."

The former Villain was then quick to point out Maguire's form for England at the Euros last summer, saying:

"But let’s not forget Maguire at the Euros was outstanding. Yeah of course that partnership you had in the Euros was outstanding."

He then compared Maguire being in Manchester City's defense to the one he plays in at Old Trafford, concluding:

“If Maguire was in a Manchester City squad… you know what I mean? He’s not going to be getting that many players running at him because they’ve always got the ball. Manchester United haven’t been dominating the ball, teams aren’t scared to go at them. If you put John Stones in that Man United team I think he’d struggle.”

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Does Harry Maguire need a move from Manchester United?

Maguire could exit Manchester United this summer

The pressure of being the world's most expensive defender when he joined Manchester United from Leicester City in 2019 was always going to be huge. The £80 million fee has been a curse for the centre-back as he has never looked truly comfortable at United.

His character has been brought into question along with his abilities. This perhaps would not occur at a side such as Leicester where there aren't many eyes on your every move.

There are reports that Maguire could be one of many departures from Old Trafford this summer amid a huge squad overhaul. Fichajes reports that he is one of five names being touted with being shown the exit door by the club.

Who that would be to remains to be seen. Perhaps Maguire is better off leaving the Red Devils with his current ordeal not showing any signs of stopping.