Morgan Schneiderlin has tipped Mauricio Pochettino to drop Harry Maguire once he becomes Manchester United head coach. The former France international, who played under Pochettino at Southampton and later spent two years as a United player, believes the Argentine's high defensive line would expose the England defender's limitations.
Pochettino expected to take charge after international break
United are expected to part company with Michael Carrick on Thursday and move swiftly to hire the 54-year-old, who is currently employed by US Soccer. Pochettino is likely to take charge of his first game on November 22 when United travel to Anfield.
The club have had a catastrophic start to the season, dropping into the relegation zone. United have conceded 19 goals this term, with only bottom-placed Crystal Palace and newly promoted Ipswich conceding more.
Schneiderlin questions defensive line
Speaking to ComeOn, Schneiderlin said: "First, Mauricio Pochettino will need to adapt to the players he has until January. And then after that, yes, I think he will need legs if he sees in training sessions that certain players don't have the legs to do it."
He added: "I think my only question mark is maybe the defensive line. That's an area that can improve, because in my time, Mauricio always played with a very high line. He demands a lot of running to show for the ball from the goalkeeper.
"When the opposition plays long, he wants the defensive line stepping up very quickly to the halfway line, and you need serious legs for that."
Maguire's best games come when defending deeper
Schneiderlin believes Maguire's best performances come when he defends deeper and has everything in front of him, adding that defending big spaces will be harder for him. He noted that Lisandro Martínez, Leny Yoro, and the other defenders have a real chance to make an impact under Pochettino because that aggressive style suits them more.
"With Lisandro Martínez, I think he can manage it in a way because he's more aggressive and has good positioning," Schneiderlin said. "With Harry Maguire, you can see his best games are when he defends a bit deeper, when he defends the box and has everything in front of him. Defending big spaces is going to be harder for him. But again, maybe Pochettino finds a way to use him and make him important."
