Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has labeled Manchester United defender Harry Maguire as ‘amateur’ and hinted that he is not worth the £80m United paid for him in the summer.
Van der Vaart, who spent two seasons in the Premier League with Tottenham before leaving after the arrival of Andre Villas-Boas.
United brought in Maguire from Leicester City for a fee that eclipsed Virgil van Dijk’s £75 million transfer to Liverpool and made him the world’s most expensive defender.
Van der Vaart said that if Maguire is worth the £80m United paid for him then Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk is worth £300m.
Speaking to Ziggo Sport, he said: ‘He can do something, but if he is worth so much money, Virgil van Dijk is worth £300million.
‘If I am going to play with the amateurs on Sunday afternoon, I can easily find three who can do this. I mean that seriously.
‘A bit silly to say, but I really think so.’
Van der Vaart previously said Maguire was “the worst player on the pitch” when England was beaten 3-1 by Holland in the UEFA Nations League in June.
Van der Vaart’s attack on Maguire comes as a bit of a surprise after Maguire turned in a good performance as Manchester United held table toppers Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Maguire made 10 clearances against Liverpool – twice as many as any other player on the pitch.
But the former Leicester defender forfeited his clean sheet after Adam Lallana emerged from the bench to snatch a draw for the visitors.
