Martin Keown has left Joel Matip out of his combined XI of Liverpool and Manchester United players ahead of the two sides meeting at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The former Arsenal man saw fit to name 10 Kop talents in his 11, as reported by the Daily Mail, but opted to omit the Cameroonian, who signed a new deal with the Reds yesterday, as per the BBC.
Instead, Keown chose to give a nod to United centre-back Harry Maguire, a world record signing for a defender this summer, and the only Red Devil deemed good enough to break into Jurgen Klopp’s team.
OPINION
Everybody’s entitled to an opinion, but you can’t help wondering what Keown is thinking here. Make no mistake, Maguire is a very, very good player, but the fact remains that Matip is having a simply superb season. So far this term, as per Whoscored, he has averaged more tackles, interceptions, clearances, and aerial duels won per game than Maguire, and has also got a higher match rating. In fact, Matip’s 7.62 makes him the highest rated defender in the Premier League this season, as well as the sixth highest in the league overall. No slight on Maguire, who has been a standout performer in a pretty shocking United side so far this season, but how can Keown, himself a centre-back in his day, openly ignore that kind of output from Matip? It makes little sense, and you have to question whether he’s been paying any attention at all.
