Van der Vaart claims amateur players can do what Man Utd star does

Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has questioned Manchester United defender Harry Maguire’s ability as a footballer.

The Dutchman claimed that he could find amateur footballers who possess the same skill set as the England defender.

Speaking to Dutch TV channel Ziggo, Van der Vaart said, “He can do something, but if he is worth so much money, Virgil van Dijk is worth £300million.

“If I am going to play with the amateurs on Sunday afternoon, I can easily find three who can do this. I mean that seriously. A bit silly to say, but I really think so.”

Maguire moved to Old Trafford in the summer for £80m, a world-record fee for a defender on the back of impressive displays for both Leicester and England for a couple of years (Guardian).

While he was bought in to shore up United’s leaky defence, he hasn’t quite hit the ground running at his new club.

This is not the first time that Van der Vaart has been critical of the former Leicester man as he told Sky Sports back in August that he thought Maguire was England’s worst player in their Euro Nations League semi-final defeat to Holland.

The 36-year-old was quoted as saying: “It’s funny because during the Nations League, I was doing work for Dutch television.

“And I remember we were saying Harry Maguire was by far the worst player on the pitch. And then two months later, £80-£90m? Unbelievable.”

Spurs Web Opinion

As much as I love Van der Vaart, these comments are extremely disrespectful to Maguire who has worked his way to the top. We have to remember that he is not responsible for the transfer fee. I believe, once the 26-year-old gets used to his new surroundings, he will become a key player for Man Utd.

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