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The centre-back experienced another night to forget during an encounter against Sevilla.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has defended his captain Harry Maguire after mistakes against Sevilla on Thursday.
Maguire – and David de Gea – were at fault as Sevilla seized on poor interplay between the two to score as the La Liga side romped to a 3-0 victory in a Europa League contest.
However, Ten Hag feels that the England defender has an important role to play in the team.
"He [Maguire] has an important role, he is the captain, he leads, he communicates with the manager, and he motivates the team. He’s the example in the training space," said Ten Hag in his FA Cup pre-match press conference.
The Dutchman went ahead to defend his players, saying they understand expectations on them.
"I think they understand, but if not, it’s time to be aware of it," he added. "It’s great to be part of Manchester United, to be part of this football club, but the flip side is you have to prove it every game.
"That’s what we have to acknowledge and be aware of; you need to prepare every game for the fight."
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09:55 - 21.04.2023
EUROPA LEAGUE ‘Manchester United were not ready for Sevilla game’ – Ten Hag concedes
The Red Devils were outclassed by Sevilla, who won courtesy of Youssef En-Nesyri's double and Loic Bade.
After exiting the Europa League, the Red Devils have another chance to redeem themselves when they take on Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.
"A good thing is that Sunday is a huge opportunity, semi-final of the FA Cup, a better event you can’t imagine, and after that, a lot of great games to go. We have to prove it, and this group of players has to prove it," the former Ajax manager continued.
Ten Hag steered away from the talk of the next transfer window and said his main objective is to always improve the squad.
"At this moment, I don't think about the summer. Of course, it's at the back of my mind, and I am thinking about how I can improve this team and the players," he concluded.
"That's my job, together with the coaching staff. We have all our focus on that process and not on other processes, as otherwise that will distract you.
"I know this group of players can do better because they've already proved it so many times this season. We've made huge progress during the season but we have steps to go.
"We still have a lot of games to play, so we have many more occasions to prove it."
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14:50 - 21.04.2023
EUROPA LEAGUE Three unwanted records Manchester United registered against Sevilla
The Red Devils experienced a calamitous exit from the Europa League on Thursday.
The defeat against Sevilla saw their treble dream come to an end.
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