‘If I’m Timo Werner, I’d be like: “Please play Maguire!”‘: Chelsea’s new striker will be an ‘absolute nightmare’ for Manchester United’s skipper, insists former Blues defender Glen Johnson
- Timo Werner got off the mark in the Premier League against Saints last weekend
- Glen Johnson thinks Chelsea man would be a nightmare for Harry Maguire
- Man United skipper missed PSG win midweek but could return on Saturday
- Johnson says if he was Werner he would be praying that the defender starts
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire could be in for an ‘absolute nightmare’ trying to deal with Timo Werner on Saturday, says former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson.
Frank Lampard takes his new-look Chelsea side to Old Trafford for a crunch showdown with United, who will be flying high after another famous win at PSG in midweek.
United captain Maguire missed that match due to a muscle injury but could return to play Chelsea. Lampard, meanwhile, will be looking for a response from his team after last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Southampton.
Glen Johnson believes Timo Werner will be chomping at the bit to face Harry Maguire
Manchester United’s skipper has endured a challenging three months on and off the pitch
Johnson (C) says Werner will be an ‘absolute nightmare’ for Maguire to handle on Saturday
Chelsea’s big-money summer signing Werner got off the mark in the Premier League with two goals in the draw and Johnson believes the German will be praying to see Maguire – who has endured a challenging three months on and off the pitch -reinstalled into the United line-up.
‘If I’m Timo Werner, I’d be like, ‘Please play [Maguire]!’, I really would,’ he told Optus Sport as per the Daily Star.
‘I think he would be an absolute nightmare for him.
‘But I agree, in the bigger picture, it’s hard to leave your captain out and obviously he’s a big player for them.
Werner will be looking to add to the two goals he scored in Southampton draw last weekend
Maguire missed win at PSG due to a muscle injury but could return to face Chelsea
‘But on that last performance, if I’m [Axel] Tuanzebe, I’d be thinking: “Why aren’t I playing?”‘.
Tuanzebe was a standout performer for United in the 2-1 Champions League victory against PSG despite it being his first appearance for the club in 10 months.
His mature performance in Paris led to calls from former United stars Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves for the 22-year-old to become a regular starter in defence under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The United boss remained coy when asked if Tuanzebe would be trusted again from the start against Chelsea but spoke about him in glowing terms in his pre-match press conference this week.
Johnson admitted if he was Axel Tuanzebe, he’d want to be starting after his display in Paris
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised the defender but didn’t reveal if he would play against Chelsea
‘We’ve always known Axel is a very good centre-back and if he keeps fit and stays fit he’ll play a lot of games for us,’ Solskjaer said.
‘He’s got all the attributes a centre-back at Man United needs. He can play right-back and centre-mid. He played left-back last season against Arsenal, he played a fantastic game apart from one pass – a square pass.
‘For me now, it’s about keeping him injury-free, keeping him consistently out there on the training ground and playing games so he’s got all the work, because he’s missed too much football early on in his career.
‘We knew he was due to be fit around about this time and he’s worked really hard. We believe in the kid, that’s for sure. He’s proven that in glimpses but now it’s about being consistent.’
