Harry Maguire: Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag backs under-fire defender

Ahead of the Manchester derby, Manchester United’s coach Erik Ten Hag has come to the defense of the under-siege captain and defender Harry Maguire. The manager stated he believes in him and expects to improve his form. He revealed that he had to coach him and back him since he believed in him, and in the period they worked together, he knew how to position himself and confirmed he performed well in training and matches. 

The Coaches Statement

The coach stated he could see the defender’s qualities and always trained well. When talking about his drop in the pecking order, the coach revealed that this was because of the good performances of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez. He said he could see his qualities, and even though he no longer played in the first eleven, he trained and showed good quality. 

The Dutch manager stated that the defender has high potential and was confident that the center-back would improve his form. 

He talked about his career over the years, including the many caps he has playing for the national team, his time at Leicester and now at Manchester United, and he performed well. He also confirmed that it also depends on him. Even though the coaches, players, and managers all believe in him, he also has to believe in himself and his abilities since that is what Ten Hag teaches them. He stated that he knew he could do it and would turn around his form and was confident about it. 

Manchester United faces Manchester City on Sunday, October 2, and currently sits sixth on the table with 12 points from six games, whereas Manchester City is second with 17 points from seven games. 

What colleague players say about Harry Maguire

The England team captain Harry Kane stated after the Nations League match with Germany that the Manchester United captain had been playing with an injury after picking up a knock. Maguire played the full 90 minutes in the team’s last two Nations League matches. This includes a 1-0 loss to Italy and the centreback’s position in the team raising many questions. Even though he received a lot of criticism due to his performances, England coach Gareth Southgate promised to stick by him and left-back Luke Shaw despite the two losing their places in Manchester United’s starting eleven. He revealed to Sky Sports News that leaving them out of the squad would be a challenge considering they are experienced, soccer players. Even though many concentrated on his dismal performances, the coach stated there were instances he delivered.

He noted that Shaw was an outstanding player, and he could not just leave them because they were playing less in Manchester United. He reminded everyone that it was necessary to back the best and most experienced players they have unless they are in a situation where it is impossible and untenable to include them in the England squad. 

The Manchester Derby

Going into the derby for Manchester United, the good news is that Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were back in training after a muscle injury and Achilles tendon problem suffered by the two players, respectively. 

The team head into the match after four consecutive league wins, and the Man Utd coach revealed he relished his first experience in the derby. He confessed it excited him, and he wanted to be involved in such games since they had a good vibe. He also said they gave much energy, and his team will do everything to emerge winners. 

Pep Guardiola and Ten Hag worked together during the former’s time as Bayern Munich’s head coach. Guardiola stated in April before Ten Hag joined United that he could have succeeded him at Man City. 

Ten Hag revealed, “It’s a nice compliment. But I’m 100% convinced I chose Manchester United with everything in it and I didn’t regret it for one second.”