Gareth Southgate’s trust in Harry Maguire paid off at the World Cup, but will Erik ten Hag show similar faith in his former Manchester United captain?
Some players used the World Cup to enhance their reputations. Others used it to cement their legacies. Harry Maguire, however, has potentially used it to get his career back on track.
Many queried his inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s England squad. The 29-year-old had started just three Premier League matches for Manchester United this term as Erik ten Hag demoted his captain to the substitutes bench after a terrible start to the campaign.
Maguire’s form didn’t warrant a place in the England team but Southgate remained loyal to those who had previously played a key role in their success.
While the Three Lions may have been eliminated by France at the quarter-final stage, you do have to admit that Southgate’s decision to put his trust in the former Leicester City man paid off.
Betfred
- Huge range of regular promotions
- 24/7 live chat service
- PickYourPunt builder for custom bets
Statistically, Maguire was one of the best centre-backs at the World Cup.
InfoGol, for example, named him in their Team of the Tournament, one that was decided by data. His rating of 7.25 was the highest of any centre-back in Qatar. The £80million signing played a part in keeping three clean sheets for England and was a threat at the opposite end of the pitch, taking six shots this time around and assisting one of Bukayo Saka’s goals against Iran.
WhoScored also ranked Maguire’s World Cup fairly highly, giving him a rating of 7.35 for his exploits for the Three Lions. Only Saka (7.68) and Jude Bellingham (7.58) could boast a higher rating amongst the 26-man squad.
The former Hull City centre-back certainly played his part for England, though he was beaten to the ball by Olivier Giroud for the winning goal in that quarter-final clash.
You do also have to caveat these performances by talking about the system used by the Three Lions.
Southgate opted for a 4-3-3 shape on paper but in possession, it was very much a 2-3-5 formation, with both full-backs and Declan Rice protecting John Stones and Maguire at centre-back.
England attacked with five and defended with five. It allowed the 6ft4 defender to concentrate on doing what he is best at. It allowed him to play his natural game and was one of the reasons he was able to impress.
At Old Trafford, the system isn’t similar and he can often be a little exposed in one-on-one situations. However, if ten Hag can potentially tweak certain things so that Maguire isn’t as exposed, perhaps there is a scenario in which the Manchester No. 5 regains his place in the starting XI.
He may have an opportunity in the short term with both Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane likely to miss the next couple of matches due to their involvement in the World Cup final.
The injury Varane limped off with isn’t as bad as first feared. He is expected to miss the match against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday but return for the New Year's Eve’s visit to Wolves. It is worth noting that the French centre-back wasn’t at his best in Qatar, despite Les Bleus reaching the final.
His form, combined with his injury woes this term, could see Maguire given chances to make that centre-back berth his own for the remainder of the campaign.
If he’s able to replicate his England form, that can only be a positive for the Red Devils.
