It’s been a strange old season for Manchester United and their supporters, not least because of playing at Old Trafford with no fans present to cheer them on.
A lack of atmosphere from the stands really brings home the way in which team-mates interact on the pitch in terms of instructions, with every conversation overheard.
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Not only that, but there’s no hiding place when players aren’t at the races.
It’s when leaders on the pitch are needed, and captain, Harry Maguire, has been savaged by former Man United star, Paul Parker, in that regard.
“Harry Maguire is not a leader, he plays the game for himself, he sits way too deep, he dribbles for the sake of dribbling and runs himself into cul-de-sacs,” the ex-Old Trafford man noted in The Sun.
“The goal against Sheffield United, he put David De Gea in a terrible position, and he made a terrible clearance which people then blamed the goalkeeper.
“Sometimes you need to look at the build-up to see the mistakes.
“I have always been unsure about Maguire since the day Manchester United signed him.
Perhaps, given that Maguire became the most expensive defender in the world when signing for United, Parker has a point.
He certainly hasn’t justified such a price tag, but then Maguire himself doesn’t set the market price.
Improvement is evidently needed, but, in hindsight, comments such as Parker’s aren’t helpful.