Analysing Harry Maguire’s first league start in 11 weeks – ‘magnificent’ or uncomfortable?

Manchester United’s club captain is currently fourth choice for his preferred position. 

Sunday’s 1-0 win over West Ham United saw the return of Harry Maguire, making his first Premier League start since his club’s 4-0 humbling at the hands of Brentford.

It was a scrappy victory for Erik ten Hag’s men, who went ahead through Marcus Rashford’s headed goal in the 38th minute (his 100th for the club), but spent much of the second half under bombardment from a series of West Ham crosses. United are getting better at using the ball and occasionally have patches of sustained attacking pressure, but often lose composure in the latter stages of games when Christian Eriksen’s influence wanes.

Ten Hag’s 61st-minute substitution, removing Anthony Elanga for Scott McTominay and changing to a 4-3-3 shape, saw United cede territory. The 79th-minute substitution of Eriksen for Fred invited a flurry of opposition attacks. 

A lot was asked of United’s back five to stop a promising victory turning into a disappointing draw. Reports in Spain claimed David de Gea was omitted from the national team’s provisional 55-man World Cup squad due to a weakness with the ball at his feet, but he made a number of strong saves in the second half to show there is more than one way for a goalkeeper to prove his worth. “We have a massive keeper. Really composed and in control,” was Ten Hag’s verdict at full-time, and United are better for a De Gea who is well-protected and able to play to his strengths. 

But one player currently unable to play to his strengths is Maguire, who had a performance that could best be described as “solid” against West Ham (in the presence of Gareth Southgate)

United’s defence under Ten Hag works differently from that of previous seasons, and Maguire is having to adjust to operating at right-sided centre-back rather than his preferred position on the left of the pairing. Formerly the busy “dog-like” defender, hassling the man in possession, Maguire’s main duty on the right is to martial space, while Lisandro Martinez now does the majority of defensive work.

Maguire looked uncomfortable on the right on Sunday, particularly when retreating against a pacey attacker, but is unlikely to return to his favoured side while Tan Hag is calling the shots. Martinez is a superior tackler, more mobile and with a greater sense of timing than the Englishman, but also possesses a phenomenal passing ability that serves as a way for United to progress the ball from deep.

In the Europa League against Sheriff Tiraspol last Thursday, Ten Hag paired Maguire with his familiar centre-back partner Victor Lindelof, but again retained the Englishman on the right, rather than revert to their setup of previous seasons. If Maguire is to be a starting option for United this season, he will have to adjust to playing on the right of any centre-back pairing. In order to adjust, he will have to learn to delegate the majority of defensive duties to Martinez. 

Maguire will also have to come to trust Diogo Dalot, who is developing into a very different full-back to Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The Portuguese right-back is blossoming into an inverted full-back, drifting into central areas during build-up to operate as an auxiliary midfielder. Dalot’s attacking ambition meant there was often space outside of Maguire that West Ham attempted to exploit. On more than one occasion in the first half, Maguire found himself having to delay runs from a counter-attacking Said Benrahma. Thankfully, Dalot is diligent when defending the back post; sustained pressure from West Ham in the second half saw a number of crosses delivered into the space behind Maguire. In the moments the centre-back could not make the header, Dalot intervened. 

Maguire was an important, consistent presence in the United teams of 2019-20 and 2020-21 because he took individual responsibility in a defence often lacking structure. In the more composed setup of 2022-23, he is having to adjust to playing in a team that views his aggressive tackling and ball carrying as a bonus, rather than a necessity.

As legs tired in the second half and United found themselves overwhelmed by West Ham pressure, Maguire twice attempted cynical fouls. The first saw him and his United team-mates pause and await a yellow card from the referee, only to lose the ball in the continued play. The second saw Jarrod Bowen nutmeg Maguire, who would then bodycheck the West Ham winger before wagging his figure in disagreement that it was a foul.

The Maguire of previous seasons was able to properly time tackles such as these, winning the ball without any input from match officials. The less-certain Maguire of 2022 regularly turns to referees as a safety blanket, reasoning a caution and opposition free kick are worthwhile punishments for stopping an attack and giving extra time for United team-mates to retreat. 

“He was magnificent, he was protecting the box and is a great player and shows important he is for the squad. I am happy for the team and Harry Maguire, we got the clean sheet,” said Ten Hag of his captain at full-time. Maguire’s performance will do little to soothe a subsection of the United fanbase, who would rather he be sold, but he underlined his quiet importance to the United squad.

Ten Hag does not need the version of Maguire that was so impressive during the 2020-21 season, but he does need the centre-back to take to his new role with some of his old confidence. Injury to Raphael Varane and illness to Victor Lindelof leave Maguire and Lisandro Martinez as the main centre-backs options at United (Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe continue their own separate recoveries). The United captain is building from a place of low confidence, but he can become the player he used to be, if he trusts himself and his team-mates. 

(Photo: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)