"It was a lie..." - Former Man Utd player accuses Ten Hag of "fabricating" illness

Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker claims that reports Harry Maguire was only fit enough to make the bench against Nottingham Forest are "fabricated".

Maguire was named among the United substitutes for Tuesday's match at Old Trafford, with manager Erik ten Hag instead starting left-back Luke Shaw in central defence alongside Raphael Varane.

The official line from Ten Hag was that Maguire was unable to start the match after struggling with an illness, which he picked up while away with England at the World Cup in Qatar.

The illness had ruled him out of United's first match after the winter break, their 2-0 win over Burnley in the Carabao Cup round of 16 last week, and was expected to force him out of the game against Forest.

However, Maguire was named on the bench for the match and replaced Varane with around 13 minutes left to help his side see out a comfortable 3-0 win.

Parker: Maguire reports were fabricated

Former United defender Parker says he is sceptical about the Maguire illness reports and believes it was purely a tactical decision by Ten Hag to leave the defender on the bench.

"First of all we have to say that Luke Shaw did very well playing as a centre half," he told BonusCodeBets.

"He barely made a mistake and Man United didn’t really miss Harry Maguire.

"But to be honest, I don’t believe the story about Harry Maguire being ill. It was a lie and it is totally fabricated. It doesn’t make any sense at all.

"On a cold rainy night in Manchester there is no way you would ever let an ill man sit on the bench if he wasn’t ready.

“He was ready but Erik ten Hag preferred to play with Luke Shaw."

Despite Parker's claims, the Manchester Evening News insist Maguire was indeed suffering from an illness and not fit enough to start.

A source told the newspaper that Maguire has failed to shake off the virus and "really should be in bed".

However, the United captain offered to provide cover for Ten Hag in the absence of Lisandro Martinez, who only returned to the club on Wednesday after winning the World Cup with Argentina.

Maguire is seemingly determined to prove his worth to Ten Hag after losing his guaranteed starting spot this season.

The 29-year-old has made only 10 appearances in all competitions and has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford after impressing for England in Qatar.