London (AFP) – Manchester United captain Harry Maguire claims criticism of his club is often provoked by jealousy.
United eased the pressure on boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a much-needed 3-1 win at Everton on Sunday.
Solskjaer had been under fire after United’s spluttering start to the season hit a new low with a shock Champions League defeat at Istanbul Basaksehir in midweek.
Three wins in seven league matches still leaves United in the bottom half of the Premier League, but England defender Maguire does not believe Solskjaer and his team deserve so much abuse.
Insisting United’s critics resent the club’s past success, Maguire said: “At this club one thing I’ve noticed in my time here – I’ve been here a year and a half – is we are the most talked-about club in the world.
“Why? Because we are the biggest club in the world. People don’t want us to do well. Why? Probably because of the success we’ve had in the past.
“We have to live up to that, we have to react to it and don’t let the negatives get into our bubble inside the training ground. Sometimes it is difficult for the lads.”
Speaking after the match in a video posted on Manchester United’s Twitter account, Maguire added: “We reacted well to two poor results. We felt we were on the right track after Leipzig (a 5-0 win) and we let ourselves down against Arsenal (last Sunday).
“It wasn’t good enough as a performance. In the week again we gave them a soft goal and found it too hard to create chances to come back.
“We knew this was an important game to get three points. We reacted well but it is only a start.”
