Erik ten Hag praises 'great leader' Harry Maguire amid West Ham interest as he laments defensive woes

Erik ten Hag admitted losing his star defenders to injury was very difficult but praised Harry Maguire.

Lisandro Martínez and Luke Shaw Both have been absent for a long time. manchester united This season, the former was lost due to foot, knee and calf injuries and the latter suffered a muscle injury.

Raphael Varane will miss most of the rest of the season and Jonny Evans has also struggled. As a result, Ten Hag has not been able to maintain a consistent defensive line this season and has now addressed the impact of that on his team's campaign.

“It's very difficult (to keep changing the back four),” he said before his team's clash against Bournemouth. “So everyone who has a little bit of knowledge about football, a little bit, knows that it will affect their results and performances.

“The defense of four is always the basis for obtaining results. We didn't have that.

“But we still have to win, we know that, so others will have to take responsibility, but when you supervise you know it has a negative impact.”

The statistics suggest it is a real headache for him as United have conceded goals in eight consecutive away games in the top flight since the 0-0 draw at Anfield in December, conceding 17 goals in the process.

One player who has played consistently for Ten Hag in Martínez's absence is Maguire.

Despite West Ham bidding for him in the summer and Ten Hag stripping him of the captain's armband to give it to Bruno Fernandes, the defender's form has improved massively recently.

When asked about reports that the Hammers were interested in their defender again, Ten Hag said: “You have to look at it from that perspective. We were always happy with Harry Maguire but he wants to play.

2

“He is a great leader, he is a very good defender, very comfortable with the ball.

“When I count all those skills, now that we are on our defensive line we have our problems, he is even more important to lead that line, to make us play from behind.

“So we're very happy it's there and we need it to get our results and achieve our goals.”

There are good omens for Manchester United, who have won four of their last five Premier League visits to Bournemouth, including a 1-0 victory last season.

But The Cherries won 3-0 in December and are seeking their first league double against United.