Former Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has explained that the poor positioning of the midfielders has left Harry Maguire vulnerable while defending this season.
Speaking to the media during a post-match analysis, the former Manchester United striker claimed that Fred was often out of position against Arsenal and that exposed Maguire.
The Dutch striker also blamed the other players for their poor positioning throughout the game and explained that they will have to stick to their position and their roles if they want the team to do well.
Fred has impressed at times this season but he will have to protect his defenders better in the upcoming matches.
Manchester United crashed to a defeat against Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League last night and their defence was horribly exposed throughout the game.
The likes of Fred and Matic will have to do better in screening the back four.
Van Persie said: “Everyone is talking about Maguire being fantastic on the ball, so far he’s not been fantastic on the ball going forward, with his passing. But that’s not only down to him. Before the show, I talked with Owen [Hargreaves] about the positioning of the team overall and in some situations, the team is not well-positioned. You see Fred coming to take the ball from centre-back, he should not do that. Maguire should do that. He can do that forward pass. He should play higher up the pitch, where it is more difficult to play, but it gives everyone more options.”
