Manchester United's Harry Maguire looks like a statue at FA Cup final, kick-off time moved forward on police advice

In a surprising move, police have recommended that the kick-off time for the upcoming FA Cup final between Manchester United and Manchester City be moved forward due to concerns about the record-breaking human-sized statue known as Harry Maguire.

Sources close to the police department revealed that they were worried about the public's safety, given that the giant statue like defender has been known to inadvertently knock over fans in his previous games.

At a press conference held this morning, Eric Ten Hag, the Manchester United head coach, was quick to defend his beleaguered centre-back.

"Harry is a valuable player to us," he stressed. "We understand the general public's concern, but we assure you, we are taking measures to ensure his movements are controlled during the game."

However, many fans expressed skepticism about this claim, with one fan commenting on Twitter: "If anything, Harry Maguire needs to control his own movements before you guys try to tell us that you're going to do it for him."

Meanwhile, in a bizarre twist, reliable sources close to Manchester City camp have revealed that the team's star player, Raheem Sterling, has been undergoing an unusual training regime in preparation for the upcoming match.

"Raheem's been working really hard," said a source close to the England striker. "He's been spending most of his time in the training room, practicing his moves on a miniature version of Harry Maguire."

However, fans are reportedly divided over the effectiveness of such a technique, with some expressing doubts about how effective it will be in dealing with the towering figure come game day.

One fan on social media humorously pointed out, "If you can dodge a statue, you can dodge a ball," while another tweeted: "I'm not sure training against a statue prepares you for an actual, living and breathing defender."

In the end, the game kicked off on time, with both teams putting in a solid performance.

Shortly after the final whistle, Eric Ten Hag addressed the media, admitting that the statue-cum-defender Harry Maguire had indeed cost them the game, saying, "Honestly, in hindsight, we should've just played a regular player. Who knew a statue would be so immobile and uncooperative on the pitch."

However, in defense of the team's underperforming attempts at the coveted trophy, one die-hard fan of the Manchester Red Devils had this to say: "We'll be back next season, bigger and better than ever. And with a slightly more functional defense, fingers crossed."