Four things noticed from Harry Maguire’s first game under Ten Hag including early blunder

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire made his first appearance since Erik ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford during Friday afternoon’s pre-season game against Melbourne Victory

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Harry Maguire might play up to half a game in Melbourne, says Erik ten Hag

Harry Maguire featured under Erik ten Hag for the first time since the Dutchman was confirmed as Manchester United’s new manager in Friday’s pre-season clash with Melbourne Victory.

The England centre-half sat out Tuesday’s impressive 4-0 thrashing of Liverpool with a knock, but was named as the captain of a strong team for the match against the A-League outfit.

Unfortunately for Maguire and United, they found themselves behind after just five minutes when Chris Ikonomidis clinically finished off a swift counter-attack. Ten Hag’s side eventually took a foothold in the match and equalised through a deflected strike from Scott McTominay, before Anthony Martial completed the turnaround on the stroke of half-time by bagging his second goal in as many pre-season games.

Mirror Football takes a look at four things we noted after watching Maguire play 45 minutes under his new boss for the first time…

Ten Hag drops Martinez hint

More often than not, Maguire has operated as a left-sided centre-half since his £80million move from Leicester City. However, against Melbourne, Maguire was nudged across to the right-hand side by Ten Hag.

That could be a hint from that Maguire will be vying for a slot with Raphael Varane to play alongside Lisandro Martinez as a right-side centre-back this season, as the versatile Ajax ace edges closer to a £46m switch.

Martinez is not arriving at Old Trafford for big money to play second fiddle, and it looks as though he will inherit Maguire’s favoured spot. But considering Maguire is naturally right-footed, he can still shine alongside the Argentina international if he can adapt to a slightly different role on the opposite side picking passes from deep.

Horror show for goal

Join the debate! What did you make of Maguire’s performance against Melbourne Victory? Let us know here.

Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof were badly at fault for Melbourne Victory’s opening goal (

Image:

Mike Owen)

Maguire was bang out of form for the majority of last season – and he didn’t exactly make the best start to his pre-season campaign, either.

The 29-year-old and his defensive partner, Victor Lindelof, were badly caught out after just five minutes in Melbourne, as the hosts took a shock lead via a rapid counter-attack. Lindelof was dragged badly out of position on the left-hand side, but Maguire was lagging miles behind his man, Ikonomidis, who had all the time in the world to pick his spot in the middle.

Although nobody is expecting miracles in pre-season, this was the type of goal that Manchester United fans have become all too familiar with over the past 12 months – and Maguire being badly caught out again won’t do his confidence any favours.

Slotting in to Ten Hag’s philosophy Maguire featured under Erik ten Hag for the first time on Friday (

Image:

Matthew Ashton)

Maguire may have been caught out off the ball by Melbourne’s opener, but he did at least impress on the ball.

The centre-half looked by far the most comfortable defender in possession and was the only player in the back four to try and progress the play when the opportunity presented itself.

Ball retention is a key aspect of Ten Hag’s philosophy, and Maguire certainly has the technical capabilities to thrive in a more structured, possession-based team. He showed glimpses of that during his 45 minute cameo; but it will count for very little unless he can bring the rest of his game back up to scratch.

Ten Hag sticks to his word…for now Ten Hag has already confirmed that Maguire will keep the Manchester United captaincy (

Image:

Mike Owen)

Maguire was given a major vote of confidence from Ten Hag when it was confirmed that he would remain Manchester United’s captain earlier this summer, so it was no surprise that Maguire led the team out in Australia after he was declared for Friday’s match.

But the pressure is on Maguire to repay that faith with some strong performances – and quick. Unfortunately for the United man, his credit in the bank is alarmingly low with fans after his shoddy displays last season. And with United on the verge of signing yet another centre-back in the form of Martinez, Maguire faces a major battle to even keep his spot in the team.

Everyone has been handed a clean slate by Ten Hag, but Maguire simply cannot afford to rest on his laurels.

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