When choosing a captain, it’s about finding a leader, a fighter. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer found his in the one they call ‘Slabhead’. Now, we know why he was bestowed with this honour so quickly. Harry Maguire played through injury for the cause.
The story comes from the ever-excellent Laurie Whitwell in The Athletic. Apparently, the United star Maguire played through injury for two months.
To combat the pain, Maguire took pain-killing injections and he did it to help his manager. It was in between January-March, at a time when Solskjaer ‘was under pressure’.
This is exactly what being a leader is all about. Maguire will fight for the cause. He’ll put his body on the line. He’ll do whatever it takes to win. We haven’t had a captain like that in almost ten years.
Sure, mistakes will be made. I look at him marking Aaron Wan-Bissaka from *that* Southampton corner as a big one, but nobody is perfect.
It’s worth noting there have been some splendid moments from Maguire, too. Those far outweigh the few negatives we’ve seen.
Too expensive? Absolutely. Worth it? Absolutely.
I guess the problem have with Maguire is the transfer fee. Yes, United overpaid, but it was at a time they absolutely had to. I’d also say that Maguire is massively underrated. Yes, both statements can be true.
Look at United’s defensive record, particularly since Maguire has been captain. It has drastically improved and simply put, that isn’t a coincidence. The former Leicester City man has been brilliant in that regard and you cannot put a price on that.
For me, it’s now about finding him the perfect partner. Victor Lindelof is decent, but he’s no world-beater. The Athletic touch upon the Ice Man’s passing ability as not being up to scratch, with United potentially in the market for someone who can play the ball ‘from left to right’ to partner Maguire. That’ll only happen if another centre-back, Marcos Rojo, leaves…
Does the fact that Maguire played through injury make you trust him more? Let us know in the comments below.
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