At least Harry Maguire will always be able to say that he captained Manchester United to a trophy. Nonetheless, it was difficult to ignore the feeling that the England international seemed a little out of place during last week’s Carabao Cup final celebrations.
Like a Starbucks cup in a Game of Thrones scene, like Gandalf’s wristwatch; Maguire just looked as if he didn’t really belong. Then again, that’s maybe because he played just two minutes at the end of that eventually rather-comfortable Wembley victory over Newcastle.
Furthermore, across Man United’s six games en route to their first piece of silverware since the days of Jose Mourinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and co, Maguire started just twice. One of those came against third-tier Charlton Athletic.
In fact, when all are fit and available, Maguire is now Erik ten Hag’s third choice for both the right-sided and the left-sided centre-back role. Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof ahead of him on the right. Lisandro Martinez and the newly-versatile Luke Shaw on the left.
While Fred, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and David de Gea may have played themselves back into favour, Maguire feels as anachronistic now as he did when Ten Hag was first appointed.
Harry Maguire has no future under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United
“He’s done (at Old Trafford),” former England midfielder Danny Murphy tells talkSPORT (1 March, 11am).
Maguire, Murphy says, needs a change of scenery if he is to breathe some fresh life into a career in a terminal state of asphyxiation. Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle, he adds, are two feasible destinations.
But, if there is one club that really stands out as the ideal destination for a player of Maguire’s skill-set, it’s arguably West Ham United.
What do Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma all have in common? Well, a few things really. All three lack in the technical side of the things, but excel when it comes to those old-fashioned defensive roles. Throwing their body on the line. Defending the edge of their own box. Heading and clearing any ball that dares to enter their lair.
Dawson, Ogbonna and Zouma have played arguably the best football of their careers under David Moyes at the London Stadium. And the Scot may just be the perfect manager to maximise Maguire’s strengths and minimise his weaknesses.
‘That is his big weakness’
Whenever he has featured for Man United this season, Maguire has looked all at sea in Ten Hag’s system. Centre-halves at Old Trafford are expected to defend high up the pitch these days, snatching back possession as early as possible, while doing their fair share of playmaking duties. Maguire, however, is neither quick, nor particularly progressive. His tendency to dive in mis-time challenges, meanwhile, often leaves United vulnerable to quick counters.
“The way they play, they play on the front foot. They are aggressive and want to win the ball high,” Man United legend Rio Ferdinand explains.
“So therefore, you need defenders who can defend on the halfway line. (Maguire’s) pace won’t allow that. For all the good traits he has in his game, that is a big weakness.”
It is no coincidence, perhaps, that Maguire’s finest Man United performances have arguably come against elite opposition, when the £80 million skipper can get his sizeable head on the end of crosses and simply his game. Moyees, who admits to watching Maguire during his short-lived spell at Old Trafford, could coax out those kind of displays on a more regular basis.
Moyes and Ten Hag are tactical opposites; chalk and cheese. If Maguire’s weaknesses make him unsuitable to the latter, it’s his strengths that could make him perfect for the former.
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