Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon, with Harry Maguire digging out his team-mates' character in the aftermath

Harry Maguire believes that Manchester United's players lack bravery as he spoke after their 1-1 draw with Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday. The seasoned centre-half also spoke about Lisandro Martinez's situation with the club following a ruthless midweek critique of senior figures at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils looked to have found their form during the first-half of the clash, Bryan Mbeumo converting from close range to give the visitors the lead with 35 minutes played. However, Dominic Calvert-Lewin ultimately ensured that the points were halved in North Yorkshire off the back of a well worked corner moments after the break.

As a result, United sit 13th in the Premier League standings with just a single win to show for their efforts from their opening seven matches. Michael Carrick will also be feeling the pressure, considering the high expectations of the board.

And speaking with Sky Sports in the aftermath of United's result against the Whites, Maguire claimed that the disappointing draw came down to a matter of bravery. He said: "We worked on it this week.

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"We wanted to match them up without the ball and go quite aggressive. It was a bit of a five without the ball and a bit of a four with the ball.

"Fluid in midfield. We knew we could get a lot of joy in the middle of the pitch with them only playing two in there. That's probably the area of the game where we could've done more.

"We could've been a bit braver with the ball and taken the ball under pressure. But we're in a circumstance where we are not as brave as we should be, and we have to get that back because to win games for Man Utd we have to have that bravery and composure."

On Leeds, Maguire added: "You can't question the togetherness, the spirit, the fight. This is a tough place to come. Leeds have been flying in the league.

"We can be better. We have to show more quality with the ball. When you come to places like this, you can't be beaten on set plays and we conceded a set play which got them back in the game.

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"Throughout we felt comfortable in our shape. They didn't create too many chances. To concede a set-piece after half-time is disappointing. We had to dig in. We got a foothold at about 70 minutes and probably looked the more likely to go and win it but a draw is probably fair."

It comes as Maguire also touched on the club's situation with Martinez, who was openly critical of the club's senior leadership in the wake of Tuesday's 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. The Argentine demanded more from technical director, Jason Wilcox, despite a largely successful summer or recruitment, while also suggesting that scrutiny should be put on those above Carrick instead of the head coach.

Speaking about how that saga has progressed throughout the week, Maguire explained: "There's been a lot of noise around the club this week - as there is every week - but more so, this week. Lisandro's come out, he's apologised, we've moved on from it."

Despite his comments, Martinez featured for the Red Devils as they did battle with Leeds, but was replaced by Noussair Mazraoui at half-time as a result of an issue with his thigh.