The Times - UK (2020-10-15)

the times | Thursday October 15 2020 2GM 65

Sport

Harry Maguire needs a break. Social

media was quick to advise him that

Greece can be nice at this time of year

but, to be honest, no one much felt like

laughing as the Manchester United

defender stood in the centre circle

ruffling his hair and wondering what

else can go wrong.

Dismissed after only 31 minutes of

England’s Nations League

defeat against Denmark,

Maguire was suffering the

sort of public self-doubt

that can feel cruel. The

international stage of

Wembley Stadium,

even when empty, is no

place for a crisis of form

and confidence.

Sent off for two book-

ings, Maguire may have

argued the second one on

another day. Instead he stood

there, looking resigned, bereft.

No complaint? Perhaps the red card

almost felt merciful — the rock bottom

from which he must try to recover — to

a defender who must have joined up

with England hoping that a change of

scene, after difficult times at United,

could be revitalising. So much for that.

High up on the left flank, Maguire

had first lunged at Yussuf Poulsen early

on, the squeal from the Danish player

audible at Wembley. That awful chal-

lenge deserved a yellow, at least. As Ga-

reth Southgate noted, it set Maguire on

edge. Then, after 31 minutes, a clumsy

touch saw the ball bounce yards away.

Maguire launched himself forward to

try to recover possession but followed

through and caught Kasper Dolberg,

recklessly enough that the second cau-

tion did not come as a surprise.

Dolberg was soon hobbling off. Ma-

guire was already back in the dressing

Does Solskjaer rest Maguire

or risk him in leaky defence?

room, presumably gazing at the walls

and wondering how it is possible to be a

starting player for United and England,

with all the trappings that brings, plus

unwavering support of coaches for club

and country, and yet feel so wretched.

He had joined the England camp on

the back of United’s 6-1 humiliation at

the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, and

with so many pressing questions

already around his form and state of

mind after a turbulent few months.

There have been suggestions that

being stuck on the left of defence is a

cause of Maguire’s unease but he

did that creditably enough for

England during the 2018 World Cup

campaign.

His mistakes against Spurs,

tangling with his own

players in chaotic scenes

in the penalty box, were

not isolated or, indeed,

his alone in a faltering

team. But they inevita-

bly attract attention as

the world’s most

expensive defender, and

club captain. Even

before last night’s des-

perate lunges it

had been impossi-

ble to avoid the conclu-

sion that Maguire is still

suffering from the events

of the summer and that ill-

fated trip to Mykonos.

Arrested on August 21 and

charged with bribery, resisting

arrest and assault, he had spent two

nights in police custody before being

convicted on August 26.

While dealing with lawyers, appeals

and the aftermath of an incident when

he claimed he had been struck repeat-

edly on the legs and was “scared for my

life” — not to mention the cost to his

reputation — he was back in training

less than a fortnight later and straight

into the new season.

If the interview he gave to the BBC

about his experiences in Greece was

anything to go by, he was struggling

under the scrutiny. With a 21-month

suspended sentence hanging over his

head, wiped out as he appeals, that is

hardly a surprise.

Maguire was not someone that

anyone at Leicester City, United or

England would have expected to find

in this predicament which has,

perhaps, made all the trouble that

much worse.

He had been omitted from

England’s games in Iceland

and Denmark last month

but Southgate had

been eager to have

him back, believing that

he could help to restore

belief in a player he has

championed since early in his

reign, handing him his international

debut at 24.

“He’s been pivotal to every good

performance that we’ve had over the

last few years and the success of the

team, a lot of that has resided in

having his stability and ability to

bring the ball out from the back,”

Southgate had said. “We couldn’t

have more faith and belief in

what is possible for him.”

The England manager had also

noted that “there’s obviously a lot

changed in his life, a lot that he’s

gone through over the last couple

of months” — and there was

painful cause to reflect that

Maguire probably needed time out

rather than more exposure.

As Maguire returns to United

that is now for Ole Gunnar

Solskjaer to solve and with

tough fixtures over the next

month, including Paris

Saint-Germain away,

Chelsea and Arsenal, it is

not an easy situation.

Solskjaer’s defence is a

mess and Maguire

has been part of

the problem.

Sooner

rather than

later, the

United manag-

er will need his

captain to be part

of the solution, too.

Matt Dickinson

Chief Sports

Writer

W

e should be optimistic that

Eddie Nketiah can make his

mark with the England

senior team after he became the

record goalscorer for the under-21s.

The 21-year-old has impressed Mikel

Arteta, the Arsenal manager, enough

to be picked ahead of the far more

experienced Alexandre Lacazette on

many occasions.

It is remarkable to consider how

Nketiah’s career has advanced this

year. He started by returning from

Leeds United, where he had spent a

few months on loan without really

pulling up any trees. Normally you

would expect a young player coming

back to a “big six” club after a loan in

the Championship either to be on the

fringes of the squad or to be sent on

Bielsa taught record-breaker Nketiah value of fitness

loan to another team, but Nketiah

has become an important player

for Arteta.

The turning point in my mind

was Arsenal’s game against

Wolverhampton Wanderers in July.

Nketiah was chosen at centre forward

rather than Lacazette, a France

international signed by Arsenal for

£47 million, and proceeded to play a

big role in a 2-0 victory. That day the

youngster proved he could be an

integral part of the Arsenal side.

Nketiah is a better fit than

Lacazette for an Arteta team, which is

why the Frenchman has found

himself in and out of the line-up.

Lacazette, 29, is a more complete

finisher — and Arteta would probably

trust him more than Nketiah to

convert chances — but to be part of

Arteta’s system you need to

contribute physically. Nketiah is ideal

because he has an incredible work

ethic. It is no coincidence that Mesut

Özil and Mattéo Guendouzi have

been discarded by the manager, while

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had

to up his work rate.

I believe this attribute of Nketiah’s

arose from his exposure to Marcelo

Bielsa’s intense methods at Leeds.

Arsenal under Arsène Wenger and

Unai Emery were not the fittest team

— they were a bit soft physically. So

when Nketiah linked up with one of

the most demanding managers in

terms of physical conditioning, it

was perhaps no surprise when he

suffered an injury that kept him out

for a month.

Although Leeds did not

benefit particularly from

Nketiah’s loan spell there, it

did the player himself the

world of good. It

helped him reach

a level of fitness

that is very useful to

Arteta, who has

shown he believes in

the player. Nketiah

loves to get on the

shoulders of defenders and turn them

before darting in behind with his

blistering pace. He is agile with quick

feet, much like his hero Ian Wright,

the former Arsenal striker, which

denies defenders the time to settle. He

makes clever runs, taking defenders

where they don’t want to go.

A lot of young players coming

through nowadays are more capable

on their weaker foot than their

predecessors were, and Nketiah

ticks that box. He is mainly right-

footed but also decent

on his left. Of his

record 14 England Under-21

goals, seven have been scored

with his right foot and five with

his left, in addition to two headers.

There is still more to come from

him, too. If he develops greater

confidence in front of goal — as

I said about Dominic Calvert-

Lewin, the Everton striker, a

year ago — then you will have

one hell of a player.

He needs to improve his

goalscoring with Arsenal, but

his exploits with England

Under-21 show he is

capable of that.

Tony Cascarino

Goalkeeper is

forced to put

return on hold

Martin Hardy

Martin Dubravka has suffered a set-

back in his recovery from an operation

on his heel that may delay his return

until December.

The Newcastle United goalkeeper, 31,

who made the most saves in the

Premier League last season, underwent

surgery after damaging his heel when

jogging in his native Slovakia in August.

Dubravka had hoped to return

within six weeks but a source said that

his recovery has been slower than

expected.

Allan Saint-Maximin, the French

winger, yesterday signed a new six-year

deal with Newcastle, making him one

of the best-paid players at St James’

Park.

It is believed that the deal has a salary

approaching £70,000 a week — an

increase of £30,000 a week on the 23-

year-old’s previous wage.

Benrahma to

have medical

Gary Jacob

Saïd Benrahma will have a medical at

West Ham United today before the

domestic transfer window closes

tomorrow at 5pm.

West Ham have agreed an initial fee of

£25 million, with £5 million in add-ons,

for the Brentford winger, 25, who

provided 17 goals and nine assists in the

Sky Bet Championship last season.

David Moyes, the West Ham

manager, would still like a forward and

has offered up to £13 million for

Bournemouth’s Josh King, who is also

attracting interest from Fulham and

West Bromwich Albion.

Meanwhile, West Brom have agreed

a fee of about £15 million with

Huddersfield Town for Karlan Grant,

the 23-year-old striker who scored 19

league goals last season. The fee will be

paid mostly in future instalments.

Nathaniel Clyne, the former

Liverpool right back, has returned to

Crystal Palace, the club where he began

his career, on a short-term deal.

Tierney set to

miss City game

Gary Jacob

Arsenal are braced to lose their fight to

clear Kieran Tierney from quarantine

so that he can play against Manchester

City on Saturday.

The left back, 23, was told to isolate

for 14 days until Monday next week

after he was adjudged to have been in

close contact with Stuart Armstrong,

who tested positive for coronavirus

while they were in the Scotland camp.

Arsenal have tried to argue that

Lothian health authority measured the

distance between the players at 2.8m

when they were together, which is

outside the two-metre social-

distancing rule. Tierney was tested for

Covid-19 three times last week and

each result was negative. Arsenal

joined forces with Celtic, who would

lose Ryan Christie against Rangers on

Saturday as he was also in the room.

Arsenal expect that Pierre-Emerick

Aubameyang will be fit after an ankle

injury suffered against Sheffield United

before the international break.

Nketiah this week became the record

goalscorer for England Under-21

3

England have received

three red cards in a

calendar year for the first

time: Kyle Walker v

Iceland, Harry Maguire

and Reece James

v Denmark

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