Manchester United v Aston Villa - Premier League - Old Trafford
Manchester United v Aston Villa - Premier League - Old Trafford | Martin Rickett - PA Images/GettyImages
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has revealed why Harry Maguire was withdrawn at half-time during the Red Devils' 4-4 draw against Aston Villa.
Maguire had shown glimpses of the form he produced last season, with Leny Yoro appearing to benefit from having an experienced partner alongside him. This made his absence all the more confusing when the United players returned to the pitch, with youngster Ayden Heaven replacing the senior defender.
Heaven endured a difficult second half, with his recent struggles becoming an increasing concern as the 20-year-old attempts to replicate the form he showed last season.
Despite his difficult 45 minutes, which saw United concede twice within eight minutes of the restart, Carrick's other substitutions had a significant influence on the game. Joshua Zirkzee stepped up to score United's third goal, while Patrick Dorgu assisted the Dutch forward's strike before scoring his own in the 96th minute to rescue a point.
Carrick has now confirmed the reason behind Maguire's withdrawal, revealing that the 33-year-old was struggling with an injury.
Maguire out through injury
Prior to half-time, Maguire had played in every single minute for Manchester United in the Premier League this season, being one of only a few players Carrick had selected for every single match.
His withdrawal at half-time drew murmurs across the stadium and social media, with most correctly guessing the English defender had a slight knock.
"Harry had a bad back," Carrick told MUTV's Liam Bradford afterwards. "A really bad back spasm that he had with maybe 10-15 minutes to go in the first half.
"I don't know how bad it is but, going into the internationals, there should be plenty of time for him to recover."
With the second international break of the season coming our way, Maguire should have enough time to rest and work his way back to match fitness as United look to right the wrongs of the start of the season.
The Red Devils will spend the next two weeks languishing inside the relegation zone; the last time they were in this position this late in a season was in Sir Alex Ferguson’s first weeks at the club in November of 1986, with the legendary Scotsman eventually leading United to an 11th-place finish.
Lisandro Martinez will be free from suspension for United’s next fixture, a trip down the M62 to face off against rivals Liverpool at Anfield on November 22.
Carrick is expected to be in the dugout for the fixture against Liverpool, with Ineos yet to waver on their decision to bring him in. A loss against their north-west rivals, however, could write the final chapter in his time at the club.