{"id":293233,"date":"2023-11-05T23:26:07","date_gmt":"2023-11-05T23:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?p=293233"},"modified":"2023-11-05T23:26:07","modified_gmt":"2023-11-05T23:26:07","slug":"harry-maguire-is-the-man-erik-ten-hag-has-turned-to-when-it-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/soccer\/harry-maguire-is-the-man-erik-ten-hag-has-turned-to-when-it-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry Maguire is the man Erik ten Hag has turned to when it matters"},"content":{"rendered":"
The irony is unavoidable. Harry Maguire, the man whose career at Manchester United was brought to a shuddering halt by Erik ten Hag, is the man the manager has turned to save his job.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s funny how things work out. Not that it will make any odds to Maguire. Regardless of how he might feel about the way the Dutchman has treated him over the past 18 months, the 30-year-old\u2019s overriding priority has simply been to play.<\/p>\n
He adores playing for England and losing the United captaincy and his place in the starting XI has thrown his role under Gareth Southgate into intense scrutiny. How can you pick, let alone start, a player if they aren\u2019t featuring for their club?<\/p>\n
It is a question with which Southgate has battled. But on Thursday, when the England head coach names his latest squad, he can select Maguire happy in the knowledge that he will not be required to justify his decision for the umpteenth time.<\/p>\n
Because Maguire is back. He was imperious on Saturday as United \u2014 through Bruno Fernandes\u2019s 91st-minute winner \u2014 clinched a crucial victory to alleviate the concerns over under-fire Ten Hag\u2019s management.<\/p>\n
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Harry Maguire produced a strong performance at the heart of Man United’s defence against Fulham<\/p>\n
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Maguire is enjoying a consistent starting run in matches and has impressed in recent games<\/p>\n
And all after Maguire was checked for signs of concussion twice following a hefty blow to the head inside the opening three minutes.<\/p>\n
It was a massive win for a squad and a manager under intense scrutiny. Goalkeeper Andre Onana was asked after the match about the pressure on the squad and replied: \u2018You just have to be prepared when you play for Manchester United.<\/p>\n
\u2018It is the price to pay when you are playing for such a big club. We showed a lot of character and I am happy. We are together. The celebrations say everything.\u2019<\/p>\n
Maguire has more to celebrate than anyone else. Ten Hag has never needed convincing of the fundamentals of Maguire\u2019s ability to defend. Head it. Clear it. Block it. Maguire\u2019s out-and-out defending is his most impressive attribute.<\/p>\n
But his ability to build from the back, to create the necessary angles, to execute incisive passes \u2014 that is the area of Maguire\u2019s game by which Ten Hag appears to be unconvinced. The United boss may still need persuading of Maguire\u2019s value in terms of how he wants to implement his footballing philosophy. But \u2014 at the very least \u2014 Ten Hag is coming round to the idea that Maguire can carry out his specific instructions.<\/p>\n
\u2018He was playing a massive game and it was a very good performance,\u2019 Ten Hag said of Maguire after the win at Craven Cottage. \u2018He showed leadership in and out of possession. I\u2019m very pleased.\u2019<\/p>\n
Maguire\u2019s attitude has never been questioned. The story of his recent renaissance is one of patience and determination.<\/p>\n
There was a deal to be done with West Ham over the summer. Money \u2014 inevitably \u2014 was an issue. Maguire didn\u2019t want to take a pay cut from his near \u00a3200,000-per-week wage at United. West Ham couldn\u2019t afford that.<\/p>\n
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Maguire the man whose career at Manchester United was brought to a shuddering halt by Erik ten Hag (right), is the man the manager has turned to save his job<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t just finances that stopped Maguire swapping Manchester for London. The central defender also believed he could eventually convince Ten Hag of his worth.<\/p>\n
Moving to West Ham would have guaranteed his England place. Yet Maguire is headstrong, even stubborn. Many people in the game told Maguire to cut his losses and move on, that his obstinacy was misplaced. Ten Hag, after all, was providing no indications that there would be a route back into the starting XI.<\/p>\n
Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane were the Dutchman\u2019s preferred pairing. Victor Lindelof was next in line. Even left back Luke Shaw was favoured ahead of Maguire at centre back at the end of last season.<\/p>\n
Now, Maguire\u2019s unyielding belief that his United career was revivable \u2014 if only he was given an opportunity \u2014 has been rewarded.<\/p>\n
Maguire has started United\u2019s last six matches. How long his resurrection in the heart of United\u2019s defence can continue will depend on a myriad of factors, however.<\/p>\n
Much like his route back into the starting XI, Maguire\u2019s future in the team rests on injuries. Not just his own fitness, but that of others. The real test of whether Ten Hag has U-turned on his assessment of Maguire will come when the absent players return to action.<\/p>\n
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Now, Maguire\u2019s unyielding belief that his United career was revivable\u00a0has been rewarded<\/p>\n
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Maguire has gone from being United’s fifth-choice centre back to a certain starter<\/p>\n
Martinez should be available from his long-term foot injury early next year. There is hope Shaw can return from a muscular problem by the end of the month. Lindelof missed the win at Craven Cottage because of illness.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubt that Maguire has benefitted from the misfortune of others.<\/p>\n
For now, he must compete with Varane and Jonny Evans. But after his display at Fulham, Maguire is undroppable for Wednesday\u2019s crucial Champions League tie in Copenhagen.<\/p>\n
From fifth-choice centre back to a certain starter. That\u2019s some turnaround.<\/p>\n
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): <\/span>Leno 6.5; Castagne 6.5, Bassey 7, Ream 6, Robinson 6.5; Wilson 7 (Cairney 90min), Palhinha 6.5; Iwobi 6 (Jimenez 89), Pereira 6.5 (Decordova-Reid 81), Willian 6 (Lukic 76, 6); Muniz 5 (Vinicius 76, 6)\u00a0<\/p>\n Booked:<\/span> Robinson, Palhinha, Iwobi, Wilson, Jimenez.\u00a0<\/p>\n Manager: <\/span>Marco Silva 6.<\/p>\n MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1):<\/span>\u00a0Onana 7; Wan-Bissaka 7, Maguire 8, Evans 6.5, Dalot 6; Eriksen 5 (Mount 79), McTominay 6.5; Antony 4 (Pellistri 64, 7), Fernandes 7, Garnacho 6 (Varane 90); Hojlund 5.5 (Martial 79).\u00a0<\/p>\n Booked: <\/span>Garnacho, Dalot.\u00a0<\/p>\n Scorer:<\/span> Fernandes 90+1\u00a0<\/p>\n Manager:<\/span> Ten Hag 6.5<\/p>\n Referee: <\/span>John Brooks 6. Attendance: 24,415.<\/p>\n