“I don’t want to speak about it too much because I don’t want to jinx it. I haven’t lost since the second or third week of the season but this match was not about me, it was about the team.”
When called upon this season, Harry Maguire has hardly put a foot wrong for Manchester United. His assured performance in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton proved he remains a valuable member of Erik ten Hag’s squad.
The victory at Old Trafford made it 10 consecutive wins for United with Maguire in the starting line-up. He may have featured just 12 times in the Premier League after falling behind first-choice centre-backs Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, but the England international’s recent displays have been impressive – and perhaps gone under the radar.
Having been written off by many after Ten Hag’s arrival last year, could Maguire still have a future at United after all? Or is a move away from the club the most likely outcome? There’s plenty for the 30-year-old to consider ahead of a pivotal summer in his career…
Ten Hag continues to back him
“I think this is a different Harry Maguire to what I have seen in the first weeks and months.”
Ten Hag has been impressed with his captain. Those comments from the United manager followed the win over Everton, a game Maguire excelled in.
Maguire’s positional play from defence to attack particularly pleased Ten Hag, who decided to start him alongside Martinez and leave Varane on the bench.
Maguire made 15 passes in the final third – seven more than his centre-back partner – and finished with a respectable 84.4 per cent passing accuracy. He also won possession eight times – the joint-most for United – and won more aerial duels than any of his team-mates [five].
“He’s taken so much initiative, dominating his opponent, stepping in, bringing passes. It was a really great performance,” Ten Hag added.
Maguire played a key role as United kept their 23rd clean sheet of the season in all competitions and has repeatedly been backed by Ten Hag, even when he hasn’t been selected in the starting line-up.
His individual stats have also improved, particularly in possession. Per 90 minutes, Maguire now attempts and completes more passes, has a better passing accuracy, and attempts and completes more passes in the final third too. As well as that, he wins possession more in the defensive third, wins more aerial duels, and completes more clearances.
“It is not that easy for Harry to be rotated with the other centre-backs,” Ten Hag said. “And then if you deliver the performance he did against Everton, really well done, in and out of possession, dominating and dictating.
“That is my demand on him and he transferred it to the pitch.”
Will a squad role satisfy him?
Maguire had been undroppable for United after joining from Leicester for £80m back in 2019 but has been limited to a more peripheral role this season.
He once played every minute of a staggering 71 consecutive Premier League games for United under former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He also featured heavily under ex-interim manager Ralf Rangnick and started Ten Hag’s first two league games, but defeats against Brentford and Brighton saw him dropped to the bench and he has not been a regular since.
Maguire’s start against Everton was his first in the Premier League since February 12 and just his sixth of the season.
“We have four top international centre-backs who could play at the top level – myself, Lich [Martinez], Rafa [Varane] and Victor [Lindelof] as well,” Maguire said.
“It is good that we have all four of us and I’m sure between now and the end of the season we’re going to push each other and also going to be highly competitive for spaces.
“But you also have to make sure when you don’t get selected that you train well and make sure you are ready, and ready to fight and when you get that chance to take that opportunity.”
Could a summer move be more beneficial?
United are expected to be busy in the summer transfer window as Ten Hag looks to initiate the next phase of his rebuild and there are reports Maguire will be one of several players to leave Old Trafford.
He was linked to a number of clubs in the January transfer window including Newcastle, Tottenham, West Ham and Aston Villa, while Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and former club Leicester have also been reported as possible destinations this summer.
If Maguire is to leave United, the club will have to be prepared to receive a significantly lower fee than the £80m they spent to tempt Leicester into selling four years ago, but there is also an argument to suggest the defender’s upturn in performances is gradually increasing his value ahead of a potential summer departure.
Maguire’s current contract with United expires in June 2025 and at 30 years old, his next one is arguably his most important. He’ll want to get it right.
What about his England career?
What might make Maguire’s decision easier this summer is the fact Gareth Southgate continues to back him for England despite his lack of minutes at club level during the 2022/23 campaign.
Maguire started every game of the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year, as well as England’s opening two Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine in March.
Despite admitting “it’s not a perfect scenario”, Southgate said ahead of those fixtures last month: “Harry has got two World Cup winners currently ahead of him in the United team and that’s the benchmark.
“He dealt with it brilliantly in Qatar. His performances were exceptional. He had a lot of pressure going into those games because the spotlight was on him, but he was without a doubt one of our best players in the tournament.”
Maguire, England’s all-time top-scoring defender, has been a regular in a team that has reached a World Cup semi-final, quarter-final and European Championship final, so under Southgate at least, his international future looks secure.
Season run-in a defining period
Maguire’s situation at United could ultimately be decided himself. He’s undoubtedly earned Ten Hag’s trust in recent months, but whether that’s enough to force his way back into the starting line-up on a regular basis remains unclear.
He may even return to the bench as soon as Thursday when United take on Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final, although his positive performances of late now make that a possibility rather than a certainty.
And with United fighting for a top-four finish and targeting two more trophies this season, Maguire’s contribution will be vital. It could end up deciding the next chapter in his career.
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