'Never a Man Utd player!' - Michael Carrick urged to axe veteran star after opening day disaster

Manchester United stumbled at the first hurdle of the new Premier League campaign, suffering a 2-0 defeat against newly-promoted Hull City. With defensive regulars Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt still working their way back to full fitness, manager Michael Carrick was forced to shuffle his pack.

This defensive reshuffle saw 33-year-old Maguire handed a starting role alongside Ayden Heaven. The makeshift partnership struggled to contain Hull, with United ultimately conceding twice from set-pieces to surrender all three points on the opening weekend.

Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, former Premier League winner Obi Mikel delivered a ruthless assessment of Maguire's position at Old Trafford. "When your top centre-back is Harry Maguire, you have a problem," he stated. "Harry Maguire was never a Manchester United player, never suited the system or the football club.

"The fact that he has managed to stay there for seven, eight seasons is incredible. How has that happened? I don’t understand that, and he’s still there, and he’s the number one defender. That’s a problem."

Mikel was particularly critical of Maguire's situational awareness during the Hull defeat. He highlighted a bizarre moment during the opening goal, noting: "The first goal, he was grabbing his own player and stopping him from going to defend the guy who was scoring. What was he doing? I have no idea.

"They have Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro; they have players there. But I don’t know why he is still starting. Is he good to be a squad player because of his experience? Yes. But not to start games, not to be your number one centre-back.

"He’s slow on the ball; he touches it theree of four times before releasing it. He doesn’t know what to do with the ball, he’s confused when he has the ball. A centre-back needs to move the ball quicker, but Maguire doesn’t know how to do that quickly enough and get the team to play at the right tempo."

Maguire's struggles against his former club stand in stark contrast to his resurgent form during the latter half of last season. His improved performances under Carrick almost earned him a spot in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the World Cup, but his latest setback has reignited debates over his long-term value to the club.

Despite the intense scrutiny surrounding his defence, Carrick moved quickly to shield his players from the fallout. The United boss expressed frustration over the manner of the goals but backed his squad to learn from the early disappointment.

"Two goals conceded any way is frustrating," Carrick explained after the final whistle. "We’ve been pretty good at defending set-pieces over a period of time but they decided the game today. One game doesn’t change the direction of everything, but we need to be aware of what we need to get better at."

Carrick must now find a way to quickly address his side's defensive vulnerabilities before they return to action on Sunday. United will host Ipswich Town at Old Trafford, where anything less than a convincing victory will only intensify the pressure on the manager and his senior players.

The potential return of Martinez or De Ligt to full match fitness could provide a much-needed boost to the backline. However, if neither is deemed ready to start, Carrick faces a tough decision over whether to stick by Maguire or explore alternative defensive setups to avoid another costly slip-up.