Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been brutally criticised by the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart once again.

The former Dutch international midfielder has been highly critical of the England star ever since his move to Old Trafford and he reiterated his views on the Manchester United captain while previewing the club’s matchup against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Van der Vaart went on to claim that Maguire is “really s**t” on live television and he revealed that he has no idea why the Red Devils decided to pay a club-record fee for him.

According to the former Spurs midfielder, there are several players like him at an amateur level club in Holland.

He said on Ziggo Sport: “I talk about Harry Maguire so much, so I try to avoid him. But he is really s**t. I have said this so often.

“I can’t get away from the fact United have paid €90m for him. That’s how much he cost! Where did they look for him You’ll find players like him at any amateur club in Holland.

“I think it is unbelievable. He is no top-class defender – and he demonstrates this every week. If you go out and sign players like him, I can understand why you end up having financial problems.”

Maguire has struggled with injuries and dip in form this season and the England international could use a break to recover fully and regain his sharpness.

The former Leicester City star has produced several error-prone displays under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and it will be interesting to see if the newly appointed manager Ralf Rangnick decides to give him a break.

The likes of Victor Lindelof or Eric Bailly could start alongside Raphael Varane over the next few weeks.

There is no doubt that the 28-year-old can be a useful defender on his day. However, his recent form certainly warrants criticism.

In his last 10 appearances for Manchester United, the Red Devils have conceded 21 goals across all competitions and Maguire has picked up a red card in that time as well. That said, he was not solely responsible for all the goals conceded. However, he is the captain of the side and he should have done a lot better with his decision making and organising of the back four. 

The Premier League giants will have to tighten up at the back in order to climb up the table and it remains to be seen how Rangnick deals with the situation over the next few weeks.