Manchester United boss Eric Ten Hag is still keeping Harry Maguire out of his squad’s biggest games as he looks to prove his worth in summer talks.
Harry Maguire is still looking to prove he can stop the Premier League’s best attacks, but time is running out for the Manchester United man.
Erik ten Hag made it clear early in his tenure , Maguire was no longer his first-choice defender. Lisandro Martinez replaced him instead and formed an impressive partnership with Rafael Varane at the heart of the back four.
It limits Maguire to just seven league starts and each time creates a narrative that he has to prove himself to Ten Hag and that his long-term future at Old Trafford is not linked to the summer.
Victor Lindelof is also on the list, while Luke Shaw is perfectly capable of playing centrally, as he did in January’s win against Manchester City when Maguire was dropped to the bench on watching his England counterpart as a makeshift centre-back.
Indeed, Maguire is overlooked whenever the test of the Premier League’s top flight comes around. He was dropped for the first time in their third win over Liverpool this season and has struggled to bounce back since.
Indeed, against their top six opponents, including Newcastle, Maguire is yet to start. It was 11 games in which Ten Hag deemed Maguire unfit and instead asked him to play against relegation-threatened sides Everton and Bournemouth.
Harry Maguire’s options are limited this season.
The Englishman will have to prove he can stifle the best attack in the country and while they are far from full strength, the game against Chelsea in a few weeks time is the last against what could be called top six opposition. Chelsea, who are set to appoint Mauricio Pochettino early, are expected to bounce back and challenge again, so facing the likes of Kai Havertz, Reece James and others will give Maguire a chance to make amends for his recent mistakes.
His status with the national team means that his main minutes will come in cup competitions, including the Europa League. On the European stage, Maguire did nothing to prove he was capable of becoming a starting centre-half again as Sevilla exploited his limitations.
During his days at Leicester, Maguire was hailed as a point guard that led United to believe he was the most expensive defender in the world, but Maguire was rarely convinced in that regard. It was a poor interception of the first pass that gave Spain the opening goal and a 3-0 win. Maguire missed Thursday night’s draw against Tottenham Hotspur through injury and Ten Hag could not confirm his fitness for this weekend’s clash with one of the league’s top sides, Aston Villa.
The 30-year-old will be desperate to leave his Sevilla nightmare behind and prove he can be the reliable centre-back that Ten Hag needs, but the noise surrounding his possible departure will only emerge if he isn’t on the pitch.
