Manchester United club captain Harry Maguire will miss the FA Cup semi-final clash against Brighton & Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium.
United manager Erik ten Hag praised Maguire yesterday for his leadership qualities and for showing improvement on the pitch.
The 30-year-old appeared to be turning a corner at the club but his performance against Fulham won’t do much good to him.
Maguire made a needless foul on Aleksandar Mitrovic early in the game which saw him pick up a booking.
He got too close to the striker in a bid to track him down. Mitrovic used his body to keep hold of the ball, forcing Maguire to pull him down.
It was his second booking of the FA Cup campaign due and he will now be suspended from the semi-final clash scheduled next month.
Man United fans probably won’t be too disappointed with Maguire’s suspension.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are the first-choice pair at the back. If Varane was not injured for the Fulham game, Maguire would probably have been on the bench.
It was only the second time this season that Maguire has started two games consecutively.
The last time this happened, Red Devils suffered a humiliating defeat against Brentford.
Brighton are a team in ascendency. Graham Potter’s exit has not affected them with Roberto De Zerbi doing an excellent job at the helm.
Ten Hag will need his best players to feature from the start in the semi-final clash, and that list does not include Maguire.
The only concern is if Varane and Martinez are injured, meaning Ten Hag won’t have the option to turn to the experienced England international.
