has defended Harry Maguire in light of a recent bomb threat received by the Manchester United captain and labelled those responsible as ‘cruel’.
Maguire, 29, has struggled with his form this season following injury issues and a reduced summer break due to last summer’s European Championships.
Last week, the Englishman received a bomb threat to his house, ordering him to leave Old Trafford with United sitting sixth in the Premier League and nearly five years without a trophy.
However, Wright, the former Gunners striker, believes Maguire has been wrongly singled out for United’s failures and thinks the team’s lack of structure leaves the defender exposed.
Speaking to , he said: ‘Social media will do that to you. People are cruel. The guy is going through poor form and it seems to be lasting a lot longer than it should. But that happens.
‘Harry Maguire didn’t ask United to pay £80 million for him. But he’s gone to , one of the biggest clubs in the world, and with that comes a massive amount of pressure.
‘Yes, you see him make mistakes that an £80 million player shouldn’t make but for me it’s poor form and in a poorly constructed team. In the way they play, he gets exposed a lot and makes mistakes. And with that comes criticism.’
Maguire sat out the Red Devils’ 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday with interim manager Ralf Rangnick suggesting his captain’s absence was as much a tactical decision as it was to do with the bomb threat.
Since joining United from Leicester City in 2019, Maguire’s fortunes have taken a dramatic turn in Manchester.
In his first season, he improved United’s defence significantly as they conceded 36 league goals, just three fewer than champions Liverpool.
However, a huge decline in performances has led to United shipping 51 league goals this term, the worst record in the top eight.
In what has been a nightmarish campaign, Maguire was booed by England fans at Wembley in March.
Meanwhile, reports say Cristiano Ronaldo has been sceptical of Maguire’s credentials as United’s captain in recent months.
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