Harry Maguire the best Manchester United stopper? The stats don’t lie! Even coach ten Hag praises him

Harry Maguire was reviled by everyone and by the summer he had one foot out the door at Manchester United. Only now he is breathing again as Erik ten Hag is forced to use the English stopper in the starting line-up due to injuries. He is repaying him with some great performances.

In Saturday’s game against Sheffield United, Manchester United managed to win thanks to a beautiful goal by Diogo Dalot, which decided the victory. But one of the best players on the pitch was Maguire, who was the best in two aspects:

Maguire won 5 aerial duels, more than any other player on the field. He also touched the ball the most of any player, 104 times in total.

He is, however, regarded by the public as an incompetent defender. But the statistics show a different reality. Over the last year, Manchester United have won 14 of the 15 games in which Maguire has appeared in the starting line-up.

That’s a 93% win rate, while without him in the starting lineup we’re talking about just 54%.

So why is Harry Maguire so reviled?

The truth is certainly that Maguire has been there for a number of unfortunate incidents, where many times shots have bounced off him and into the net as if on purpose. These images, of course, fly around the world at lightning speed and remain in people’s memories much longer than a player’s good stats.

Another unforgettable fact is that the English representative often had a problem with passes that offered the opponent quick counterattacks, which often ended in a goal.

Last but not least, Maguire was criticized for his low speed, as he was often unable to keep pace with the opponent’s fast attackers. However, it must be added here that he often let the whole team down by getting into these situations due to poor passing.

That one of the most expensive stoppers in history is no speedster, everyone knows that. However, he was not directly responsible for many of the goals he is most visible on, of course.

“Harry Maguire plays the way we want him to play. I’m happy with his performance. He deserved the MOTM award yesterday. He played a really good game and read the game very well. I’m happy for him,” said the Hag after the game.

At a time when Manchester United’s key stoppers are injured, such good performances from Maguire are very helpful. Especially when after the Copenhagen game, Manchester United have a derby with Citizens and then Newcastle.

Source: Sky Sports, Premier League