“Never suited the system”: John Obi Mikel delivers brutal verdict on Man United star | OneFootball

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Manchester United remain linked with Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba this summer, although a move has failed to materialise so far. The Red Devils are well stocked in the centre-back department, although their defensive woes have refused to subside.

Michael Carrick’s team suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of Hull City at the MKM Stadium last weekend, with the hosts scoring both goals from set-pieces. The English manager started with Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven as his centre-back pairing.

United were without Matthijs de Ligt for the season opener, with the Dutchman sidelined since last December with a back injury. Lisandro Martinez was only fit enough to make the bench, where he was joined by Leny Yoro.

However, it is Maguire who has now come under brutal criticism from former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel.

Harry Maguire Stats: 2025/26 Season

Mikel delivers brutal Maguire assessment

Speaking on The Obi One podcast, Mikel argued that Maguire is not good enough to play for United. He said: “When your top centre-back is Harry Maguire, you have a problem. Harry Maguire was never a Manchester United player, never suited the system or the football club.”

“The fact that he has managed to stay there for seven, eight seasons is incredible. How has that happened? I don’t understand that, and he’s still there, and he’s the number one defender. That’s a problem.”

Maguire was caught grappling with Noussair Mazraoui for Hull City’s first goal in the shock defeat last weekend. Mikel cited that incident to further criticise the Englishman.

He continued: “The first goal, he was grabbing his own player and stopping him from going to defend the guy who was scoring. What was he doing? I have no idea.”

Maguire should be a squad player

Mikel went on to argue that Maguire is only good enough to be a squad player and cannot be relied upon to be the number one centre-back. He added: “They have Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro; they have players there. But I don’t know why he is still starting.”

“Is he good to be a squad player because of his experience? Yes. But not to start games, not to be your number one centre-back.”

The former Chelsea midfielder also explained why the Englishman is a liability for the Red Devils, concluding: “He’s slow on the ball; he touches it three or four times before releasing it. He doesn’t know what to do with the ball, he’s confused when he has the ball.”

“A centre-back needs to move the ball quicker, but Maguire doesn’t know how to do that quickly enough and get the team to play at the right tempo.”

Final Thoughts

Mikel’s criticism sounds a little harsh, but Maguire has always divided opinion among fans and pundits throughout his time at the Theatre of Dreams. Last season, the Englishman was an ever-present figure in the team in the absence of Martinez and De Ligt, both of whom missed much of the campaign with injuries.

The Dutchman, meanwhile, was once tipped to be Maguire’s long-term replacement, but injuries have hurt his time at Old Trafford. With Yoro and Heaven still relatively inexperienced, one can expect the veteran defender to retain his place in the team until at least De Ligt regains full fitness.