Paul Merson has revealed he called Harry Maguire to apologise after his infamous criticism of Manchester United’s “ridiculous” decision to sign the defender on a £80 million ($A136m) deal.
Maguire had become the most expensive defender in the world after he moved from Leicester City to United back in 2019, with Ole Gunnar Solskjkaer prioritising his signing at the time.
It prompted immediate criticism from Merson though, who said it was “ridiculous at the highest level” to pay Maguire that much money.
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Maguire had the perfect response on the field, putting up a man-of-the-match performance against Chelsea in a 4-0 win, prompting Merson to immediately backtrack on his comments.
“I thought I was very critical of him on Soccer Saturday if I’m being honest,” he said at the time.
“I tried to get hold of him today (Monday) and I will talk to him tomorrow (Tuesday) as he texted me back.
“And I thought I was a bit critical if I’m being honest – I thought what I wanted to say did not really come across the way I thought it should have.
“I sort of did not really give him the credit he deserves of how good he is. I was brought up in the day and age where it was clear your lines – a Tony Adams or a John Terry, or someone like that.
“So I was a bit disrespectful in that way.”
It turns out Merson did get a hold of Maguire and talk to him on the phone, with the pundit opening up to The Telegraph UKabout that conversation and the “hardest part” of his job.
“It was just my opinion,” he said.
“I rang up Brendan Rodgers and said, ‘Can you get me Harry Maguire’s number?’ I didn’t feel comfortable with myself. I needed to ring him and say, ‘I don’t agree with the £80m but I shouldn’t have said that and I’m sorry’.
“I went a little bit too far. He couldn’t believe it. Probably thought it was a joke. I don’t think he has had a fair crack. He’s struggling and he’s playing on the left when he’s right-footed.”
Merson had also claimed Manchester City’s £55 million ($A94m) move for Kevin De Bruyne was a “joke” given what the forward had produced during his time at Chelsea, another take that aged poorly.
Not everyone may agree with his opinions and Merson is OK with that, what he is not a fan of is people baselessly claiming he does not know what he is talking about.
“I don’t like it when people go on there and say, ‘He’s clueless, sack him, he hasn’t got a brain’. I’ve got good knowledge on football even if I get it wrong sometimes,” he added.
“Talk to me about politics, I’ve not got a clue. Football, I played all my life. Under the top managers. I know my football. I’ll sit with anybody over a table and talk football. I confidently stood on Sky the other day with Gary Neville, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Roy Keane.”
Maguire’s future at United remains a talking point, as does that of Cristiano Ronaldo, although Merson admitted it can be difficult to criticise a player of Ronaldo’s calibre and standing.
“The hardest part is when you have to be critical of one of the best players who’s ever played football,” he said.
“Ronaldo was a 100 times better player than me and I’ve got to say Man United are not going to win anything with him in the team.”
In Merson’s defence, his apology comes just two days after a new report confirmed United have overpaid on transfers by an eye-watering $AUD355 million in the space of a decade.
