Graham Ruthven: “Maguire has his flaws. And yet United cannot cope without him”

MOST agree Manchester United shouldn’t have paid £80 million for Harry Maguire. That world record fee, the highest ever paid for a defender, was a sign of the Old Trafford club’s recklessness in the transfer market. Proof of their futility as negotiators, held to ransom by a smaller club for a player not considered among the world’s best. This isn’t to say United would be better off without Maguire, though.

The 28-year-old has flaws. Big ones. Indeed, Maguire’s lack of pace means he is passed far too frequently by opposition attackers willing to run at him. He can be clumsy and has a wider turning circle than the Exxon Valdez. And yet United can’t cope without Maguire. This has been proven in his recent absence.

Maguire’s run of 72 consecutive Premier League appearances for Manchester United came to an end with an ankle injury suffered in the 3-1 win over Aston Villa on May 9, with the centre back now a doubt for the Europa League final against Villarreal later this month. He could even be a doubt for Euro 2020.

United have lost both games they have played since Maguire’s injury with the 4-2 home defeat to Liverpool brutally exposing just how vulnerable Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team are at the back without their captain on the pitch. 

As individuals, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof have their strengths, but as a partnership they are deeply flawed. The same could be said of Lindelof and Maguire as a pairing, but Maguire’s pedigree as an individual makes up for a lot. His presence also settles others around him – see how jittery Fred and Scott McTominay were against Liverpool.

Solskjaer’s appointment of Maguire as Manchester United captain just six months after his arrival at the club surprised some. The 28-year-old certainly doesn’t have the bark of previous United skippers, like Roy Keane or Wayne Rooney, but the Covid-19 pandemic, and the absence of fans in the stands, has highlighted his importance as a communicator.

Maguire talks his teammates through every game he plays. Not every guidance is particular enlightening, but he is United’s loudest voice. Sometimes their only voice along with Bruno Fernandes. Solskjaer doesn’t have many natural leaders, but Maguire has flourished as one this season. 

“I'll give it as long as it takes with Harry,” Solskjaer explained recently when asked to provide a forecast on when Maguire might return. “He has shown his importance. We've known it all along, but maybe some people open their eyes more when he's not playing. I certainly felt I became a very good player when I was injured, people suddenly realised what I could do as a sub.”

Harry Maguire needs more credit. pic.twitter.com/hn2l46YD0H

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) May 10, 2021

Those who expected Maguire to be Manchester United’s very own Virgil van Dijk were setting him up for a fall. The 28-year-old isn’t the complete package like van Dijk is, but there is a sense that the right central defensive partner could focus Maguire and take his game to another level. He could actually do more by doing less.

Positionally, Maguire isn’t even being used in his favoured role. United’a lack of a natural left-footer at the back has forced him to play as a left-sided centre back for much of his time at the club when he predominantly played on the right side for Leicester City. It’s just that Maguire is the most comfortable of United’s defensive right-footers on the left side.

This is where a transfer target like Villarreal’s Pau Torres, a left-footed centre back with genuine pace to cover for Maguire, could bring even more out of the Manchester United captain. Nonetheless, it’s only through Maguire’s absence that his importance to Solskjaer’s side has become apparent to many.