da dobrowin： The much-maligned defender has overcome a stream of abuse to produce his very best form but the Manchester derby will be the acid test of his recovery
da jogodeouro： Manchester United needed a hero to ride to their rescue amid their shocking start to the season and the last person they would have expected to step up would have been Harry Maguire.
The centre-back, who was stripped of the captaincy over the summer and who the club tried to sell to West Ham, has recovered his form of old and steered United to three wins on the trot, playing a crucial role in each.
It has been a welcome resurrection for a player who was written off by his manager and has had to shoulder an avalanche of abuse both on social media and in the stands. But the real test of Maguire's rebirth is coming up on Sunday with the derby against Manchester City.
A positive result and performance against United's rivals would do the world of good for his confidence and cement his place in the team for the rest of the season. But if he is culpable for conceding a goal or two in a heavy defeat then Maguire will be back to square one…
Getty ImagesFour starts, four wins
While Maguire is used to being in the firing line when things go wrong for United, this season he has been spared the blame for the team's horrendous results as he's been nowhere near the starting XI. Maguire has started only four games in all competitions, and United have won all of them.
His first start came in the Carabao Cup game with Palace and he was outstanding in a flawless 3-0 win. He had to wait two weeks for his next start against Brentford and he played a big role in the frantic, added-time victory, flicking on a header for Scott McTominay to grab the winner.
Maguire was the Man of the Match in United's scrappy 2-1 win at Sheffield United, his boyhood club, and, harking back to his time as United captain, he spoke admirably about the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton after the game.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe saviour against Copenhagen
Against Copenhagen he showcased both his worst and best qualities but was the eventual hero alongside Andre Onana, another highly unlikely saviour.
Maguire gave the ball away in his own half to allow Copenhagen a quick counterattack but he got away lightly as they hit the post and made amends with a decisive block, which he celebrated by punching the air and high-fiving Sofyan Amrabat.
In the second half, Maguire once again looked like a captain, galloping forward in possession, driving the team forward. And after Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford failed to take their chances, the defender used his massive head to glance in Christian Eriksen's cross and score the only goal of the game.
In a reversal of fortunes given the humiliation he has had to experience of late, the Old Trafford crowd began singing his name.
GettyOne defeat this year
Maguire's recent upturn in form and his impact on United's results should not be that surprising. Even though he should never have been made the most expensive defender in the world when United paid £80m ($96m) for him, he has always been a capable centre-back who excels in man-marking, aerial duels and long passes.
While he was one of the scapegoats for United's miserable 2021-22 campaign and made many high-profile mistakes in that season, he was outstanding for the previous two campaigns, when the Red Devils finished in the top four.
He fell down the pecking order when Erik ten Hag took charge of United but when he did play, he tended to do well, with a few, high-profile exceptions, most notably the shambolic 3-0 defeat at Sevilla to exit the Europa League and the 4-0 hiding by Brentford.
Of the 16 games Maguire started last season, United won 12 and lost four, and three of those were in the first two months. Their only defeat in 2023 with him starting was against Sevilla in April.
GettyA litany of errors while he was absent
There are two ways to interpret what Maguire has described as his "ridiculously high" win percentage under Ten Hag. One is that he has only been picked to start relatively straight forward games against opponents United would have expected to beat.
Another is that Ten Hag has overlooked him for the bigger matches, such as the shocking 7-0 defeat by Liverpool, the 6-3 defeat by Man City and the 2-1 loss in the FA Cup, at his peril.
On occasions this season, United have certainly missed Maguire's experience and vision as they have made a litany of defensive errors.
They conceded twice in the opening four minutes against Nottingham Forest and gifted Galatasaray two late goals. Lisandro Martinez looked a shadow of the player he was last season while Victor Lindelof has been very inconsistent. Since Maguire has returned to the side, United have looked much more solid.