Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may have made his mind up about Harry Maguire after a tense moment between the pair was spotted in Thursday's crushing defeat to Sevilla.
United were dumped out of the Europa League after a humbling 3-0 loss to the Spanish side in Andalusia.
With the quarter-final tie finely poised at 2-2 after the first leg at Old Trafford, United made the worst possible start to the reverse fixture.
A calamitous error from Maguire, who was caught in possession on the edge of his own box after a terrible pass from David de Gea, allowed Youssef En-Nesyri to put Sevilla ahead on the night after just eight minutes.
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Loic Bade gave the La Liga side a two-goal lead from a corner shortly after half-time before another huge mistake from De Gea later in the half allowed En-Nesyri to grab his second of the match and kill the tie.
It was a hugely embarrassing defeat for United, who looked lost without injured duo Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane in central defence and suspended vice-captain Bruno Fernandes.
It also raises further questions over the future of Maguire, who has endured a nightmare season after being dropped by Ten Hag early on in the campaign.
Journalist spots awkward moment between Maguire and Ten Hag
Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst spotted a tense moment between Maguire and Ten Hag during the first half.
Reflecting on Maguire's mistake for Sevilla's opening goal, Luckhurst wrote: "Maguire's sympathisers shall scapegoat De Gea yet Maguire demanded the ball when surrounded by a triangle of Sevilla shirts. They had all corners covered.
"During a stoppage in the 28th minute, Ten Hag actually edged away from Maguire as he approached the touchline to rehydrate."
Speaking after full-time, Ten Hag struggled to hide his frustrations with both De Gea and Maguire.
"It's clear. When we make such mistakes, it's difficult to win a football game," he told BT Sport.
"It's a problem and we have to acknowledge it but against Brighton, we have an opportunity to work on that. You have seen what I have seen. We were not composed or calm."
United will need to bounce back quickly as they next face Brighton in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.
Topics: Manchester United, Harry Maguire, Erik Ten Hag
Rory O'Callaghan