PAUL MERSON has revealed that he phoned two England stars after criticising them on Soccer Saturday.
The legend is a regular feature on the Sky Sports show discussing the week’s fixtures.
Paul Merson apologised to two England stars for criticising themCredit: X / WeAreTheOverlap
He claimed Harry Maguire would struggle at Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty
, 57, has admitted that sometimes after making criticisms of players, it can leave him with a sour taste in his mouth.
The pundit has even taken action to clear his conscience by phoning some of his targets to apologise.
He revealed that he has previously called Manchester United defender and Tottenham star .
Merson has been critical of Maguire’s move to and his potential struggle to adapt to the tactics and Maddison’s performance in the North London derby
However, after making his comments, he felt the need to call the two and apologise.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast brought to you by Sky Bet , he said: “I have rung up players since I’ve been on that show to apologise.
“That was Harry Maguire when he signed for Man United.
“Cause I thought it was a bad signing, £70million, I didn’t think he would be able to play on the halfway line.
“I stick by that, but I just felt like I carried on and I was going on and on.
“I come away from the show and I though nah you are out of order and it didn’t feel good.
“And I rung up Brendan Rogers and I said ‘could you get me his number?’
“I rang him up and he was like a bit surprised but I said ‘I’m not disagreeing with the fee but you playing on the halfway line, I think you might struggle’.
Merson also claimed James Maddison should have done more in a defeat to ArsenalCredit: Reuters
“And then last season I done Arsenal against at the new stadium and Tottenham were atrocious.
“I picked out [James] Maddison and you know, afterwards I thought why am I picking him out and not everybody else?
“I just said he was not good enough and needed to be doing more.
“When you are playing as the ten, you need to affect the whole football game even if it is just once.
“He didn’t do that but at the end of the day you still have to get the ball off the midfield.
“So I rang him up and he went ‘I haven’t even seen it’, luckily I had run out of credit on my phone.”
Maguire is approaching the end of his contract at Old Trafford with his deal set to expire in June.
United have as his potential replacement ahead of a summer swoop.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
