Maguire stands firm in face of boo-boys
IF ever there was a game for Harry Maguire to prove his enduring worth, this was it.
Against his former club Leicester, whose fans ensured he knew he remains Public Enemy No.1 to them, this was a huge test of Maguire’s character and mental toughness.
All eyes were on Maguire after the Manchester United skipper’s name was booed when it was read out at Wembley before England’s 2-0 friendly win over Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
Gareth Southgate and Maguire’s England teammates rallied round to support the defender, as did interim United boss Ralf Rangnick, all expressing their faith and belief in the 29-year-old.
Maguire will have welcomed the backing, but he will also have known it was down to him to answer his critics and prove them wrong with his performance on the pitch.
Predictably, while United fans vocalised their support for Maguire early on, the travelling contingent of Leicester fans made it the focus of their afternoon’s work to target the player whose sale brought £80million into their club.
If Maguire was feeling the pressure to deliver a big performance after his mistreatment on England duty, he did not let it show.
In the seventh minute, he went into a 50-50 challenge with Harvey Barnes, a tackle he had to time correctly, otherwise the Leicester winger would have been through on goal.
Maguire executed the tackle to perfection, winning the ball with precision, commitment and focus.
The significance of the moment was not lost on United’s fans, who broke into a round of applause for their captain.
He made a vital block within a minute of the restart, diverting a James Justin cross behind for a corner, then drew further cheers fro the home fans with a smart turn away from Kelechi Iheanacho.
Thereafter, he blocked what looked a goal-bound effort from Barnes, and headed away a dangerous in-swinging free-kick from James Maddison, in what amounted to a solid display. Despite that, there is no getting away from the fact Maguire’s form has been wretched this season. Although in a United team that has made a speciality of mediocrity this term, he has not been alone.
For once, the finger of blame could not be pointed at Maguire for Iheanacho’s goal. Maguire and Raphael Varane were afforded a reprieve when a strike by Maddison (left) was ruled out by VAR after sloppy defending from the pair.
It was the only blot on an otherwise composed afternoon from
Maguire, who stepped up with a big performance just when he needed one.