If Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho’s snubs didn’t steal the headlines in Manchester United’s incredible victory against Manchester City on Sunday, Amad did. However, Ruben Amorim found a new undroppable at the other end of the pitch as part of one of football’s great renaissances.
You’d have to work hard to remember a player who has battled back from such a magnitude of mockery as well as Harry Maguire.
The United No. 5 has been stripped of the captaincy, lost his spot in the England set-up and had every single step on the pitch scrutinised by online bullies and mistake-thirsty haters.
Yet, he’s still standing. In fact, he towered so much in United’s 2-1 comeback triumph at the Etihad Stadium that he made Erling Haaland look like a minnow.
Maguire is built to be the centrepiece of a three-at-the-back system. He has a track record of thriving in such an environment for England, becoming undroppable during Gareth Southgate’s reign.
And the 31-year-old will be approaching a similar status at Old Trafford if he can build on the momentum generated against City.
United didn’t give the hosts a sniff aside from when Kevin De Bruyne and Josko Gvardiol exposed their set-piece defending frailties to open the scoring.
Maguire – stationed between Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez – made five interceptions, three clearances, one block and won three tackles.
He also won all four of his ground duels – and six of eight duels in total – and maintained a 92 per cent pass accuracy.
Amorim also has Leny Yoro, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans to pick from in defence, and the Portuguese tactician has also utilised Noussair Mazraoui at the back.
But he will be tempted to stick with a defence that limited the out-of-sorts Premier League champions to no big chances and three shots on goal in almost 100 minutes of football.
It’s Maguire’s time to earn a contract extension, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season. United have the option of a further 12 months, but he will want a longer-term stay.
His exit has been in the conversation for a prolonged period, and the Red Devils agreed a £30million deal with West Ham United last year.
Maguire has often been urged to leave the club for more football. Earlier this year, club icon Dwight Yorke branded a summer exit a “no-brainer” as Erik ten Hag eyed a new centre-back signing.
“Harry Maguire might see it differently, and he’s entitled to it, but his respect in the changing room would have diminished,” Yorke claimed.
But Maguire’s character and resilience have once again proven his doubters wrong and boosted his stocks massively. Another coach could be about to rely on him regularly.
