Harry Maguire‘s move to Manchester United made him the most expensive defender. There were a lot of expectations from the Englishman, but he struggled to find that spark at the club. Due to this, he received a lot of criticism and was even dropped from the team. The 30-year-old also had to leave the captaincy and hand it over to Bruno Fernandez at the start of the season. Manchester United were prepared to sell the defender but were unable to negotiate the asking price.
The Englishman remained at the club and decided to fight for his place on the national team. Injuries to some of the defenders gave Maguire a chance to get on the team and impress the manager. It is not easy to get a regular place in a team struggling to find form. With injuries to first-choice centre-backs, Maguire slotted straightaway into the team, and here is a look at what he has added to the defence of the Red Devils.
Winning the duels
Harry Maguire has played in seven games across all competitions for the club and started in five matches. The Englishman has made full use of the opportunities and is a dominant figure in the defence. Erik ten Hag’s team is not playing like a top-level side, but Maguire has maintained his standard.
In the current season, Maguire contests 4.16 defensive duels, 4.5 aerial duels, and 2.8 loose ball duels per 90 minutes each. He has won 72% of his defensive duels, 70.4% of his aerial duels, and 70.6% of his loose ball duels. This is a very high win percentage, and that too is at the top level.
The above two visuals show the aerial duels contested by the defender in the last two matches. Maguire won three of three aerial duels against Manchester City. He also won five of the six aerial duels contested against FC Copenhagen. Harry Maguire also scored the winning goal in this match. The Englishman also provided an assist with his head for the winning goal scored by Scott McTominay against Sheffield United.
Ball-playing ability
Harry Maguire has always been a ball-playing defender. He is comfortable with the ball at his feet. In the current season, Maguire averages 66.2 passes per 90 minutes and delivers 92% of these. He delivers nearly nine passes to the final third with an 87% accuracy rate. The above viz shows that Maguire is capable enough to deliver long diagonal balls and find runners in the attacking zones.
Harry Maguire is giving selection headaches to Erik ten Hag. He is fighting for his spot in the team and also to make it to the Euros in Germany. The Englishman will look for more game time and win the trust of the manager and the fans.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
