---
title: "Manchester United: Roy Keane not convinced by start to Harry Maguire’s Old Trafford career"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/manchester-united-roy-keane-not-convinced-by-start-to-harry-maguires-old-trafford-career/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Stephan Georgiou"
section: "Features"
published: "2019-09-08T18:20:55Z"
modified: "2019-09-08T18:20:55Z"
---

# Manchester United: Roy Keane not convinced by start to Harry Maguire’s Old Trafford career

**Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane remains unsure over Harry Maguire’s start to life as a United player following his big-money move in the summer.**

[Maguire](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49224905) sealed a switch to Old Trafford in August in a world-record move for a defender, but Keane is still unconvinced following the early signs of his United career.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have continued to stutter in the Premier League following a poor end to the [previous season](https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/england/manchester-united-fc/662/matches/), with only one win from their opening [four games](https://www.skysports.com/premier-league-table).

Keane criticised Maguire for his role in the defeat to Crystal Palace a fortnight ago, and still has concerns over his defensive capabilities.

Speaking on ITV during England’s win over Bulgaria, he said (via [Metro](https://metro.co.uk/2019/09/08/roy-keane-reveals-two-concerns-harry-maguire-manchester-united-10704831/)): “I think he’s done okay. We were talking about how good he is on the ball, but defensively I still have one or two question marks over him. I always worry about his pace on the turn.

“I remember the first goal against Crystal Palace where he’s not doing the basics, covering round his other centre-half. Listen, he’s 26 years of age now, you’re worried if you’re pointing these things out to him.”

Keane has not been the only pundit to criticise Maguire in recent weeks, with [Phil Thompson](https://www.football365.com/news/maguire-accused-of-lazy-defending-by-ex-liverpool-man) also giving the England centre-back a negative review following United’s loss against Palace.

Though given Maguire may be something of a [standout](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/manchester-united/transfers/verein/985) signing considering his enormous transfer fee, perhaps onlookers should beware of making the 26-year-old a scapegoat amid more poor results from Solskjaer’s team.

The Red Devils have already become embroiled in penalty [drama](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieB2uWuTQIk) this season, while they are currently on a run of three without a win in the [Premier League](https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/england/manchester-united-fc/662/matches/) – which can hardly be down to Maguire alone – and perhaps his inclusion for [England](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49533275) this past weekend is a sign of faith in his abilities from Gareth Southgate.

After all, Keane may simply be a hard man to please, having made [headlines](https://www.offtheball.com/soccer/alex-ferguson-family-roy-keane-wife-901336) last week for comments attacking former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

***United fans – how happy are you with Maguire’s start to his Old Trafford career? Can he justify his price tag? Let us know by entering the discussion below!***