Not guaranteed if he plays like that. He'll start the next game and we'll see from there.
Maguire's Redemption
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Maguire is the most expensive 4 choice defender in history. He should have sought a move away from United this summer to revive his career elsewhere. With younger and better defenders ahead of him at United, theres no chance for him to redeem himself at this club. He has no future at United and will leave next summer.
If he's 4th choice CB when everyone's fit and up to speed, then so be it. He was solid for a lot of last season, and he's started this season in the same way. There's a shedload of games up for grabs across 4 competitions. Even if we miraculously keep all our CBs fit (once Yoro is healed up ofc) then the 4th choice CB is still going to get a lot of minutes.
As of right now, he's definitely not 4th choice. He's 1st. Yoro's injured, De Ligt presumably isn't as fit yet, and Martinez looked ropey last night. It's Maguire's spot to lose.
As of right now, he's definitely not 4th choice. He's 1st. Yoro's injured, De Ligt presumably isn't as fit yet, and Martinez looked ropey last night. It's Maguire's spot to lose.
I didn't start this thread to discuss whether he's going to be first choice or not, and in reality we did try to ship him out but couldn't. The point I was trying to make is that the guys hit rock bottom, dropped, captaincy removed, and globally laughed at. and all this started when he was 29. Nobody recovers from this, but somehow he did, which is something to respect and admire, and it's something other players in bad moments should look at for inspiration. How his United career goes on from here is a different discussion.
We have 4 CBs now that should be good to great. Love it.
Don't get the posts in here slating him for his inability for a high line and the 80 millions we paid for him. He didn't put this price tag on his giant forehead and it's not his fault he doesn't fit in our system, that was changing annually in the last 10 years. But it was his achievement to come back from the lows he had and worked himself out of beeing a running joke. I wouldn't mind him beeing sold but I have nothing but respect for him.
Don't get the posts in here slating him for his inability for a high line and the 80 millions we paid for him. He didn't put this price tag on his giant forehead and it's not his fault he doesn't fit in our system, that was changing annually in the last 10 years. But it was his achievement to come back from the lows he had and worked himself out of beeing a running joke. I wouldn't mind him beeing sold but I have nothing but respect for him.
He’s certainly earned himself another contract…at a different club.
Maguire has been a combination of Jar Jar Binks, Mussolini, deer ticks, Yoko Ono, James Corden, and Megan Markle, if the Caf is to be believed.
I think he's had a torrid time off the pitch and the abuse from rivals fans and our own fans was beyond bantz. He came in and did a job for us last season, kept his head down, and was about as model a pro as you can ask for. If he had cost a more reasonable fee, like around £40m, I don't think he would have had either the heightened fear of failing to live up to the hype or the smorgasbord of comedy errors. We needed a reliable defender, he's been good, occasionally with a great performance. He's too valuable to the bottom line to be a 4th choice CB, though.
Almost as good a story as Shawshank
He was our best defender last season and saved our season albeit a very bad season. In many occasions he also performed better than Martinez. Yesterday was a case in point.
I think he was unfairly critised even now. He is a very good CB. He is back to his best. Martinez has many mistakes in him too but he was generally not critised. Don't get me wrong, Martinez is one of my favorites player.
I think he was unfairly critised even now. He is a very good CB. He is back to his best. Martinez has many mistakes in him too but he was generally not critised. Don't get me wrong, Martinez is one of my favorites player.
The man never loses a defensive header! I feel confident whenever the opposition goes for a long pass.
Played well as of late, long may it continue.
Played well as of late, long may it continue.
I've never seen a player get more abuse than him, not only at club but also at international football.
Lost the captaincy, became a meme in the internet but the way he's been performing, his professionalism it's remarkable. Really a top professional.
If we had payed about 40-50M for him I think people would see him differently but it's not his fault we were stupid enough to pay 87M.
He may not be good enough to be starting games for us if we're to aim for big titles but I'm glad to have him in the squad, specially as he's shown he has great character to deal with the pressure.
Lost the captaincy, became a meme in the internet but the way he's been performing, his professionalism it's remarkable. Really a top professional.
If we had payed about 40-50M for him I think people would see him differently but it's not his fault we were stupid enough to pay 87M.
He may not be good enough to be starting games for us if we're to aim for big titles but I'm glad to have him in the squad, specially as he's shown he has great character to deal with the pressure.
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Thought Casemiro got it?He's not on the bench though is he. The man of the match last night performance must have annoyed you.
Interesting comments on this thread.
It seems a lot won’t ever live down his price tag. 100% agree he was way too much. I think we need to move on from that, though. It’s not his fault that much was paid. And it’s years ago now.
The price tag, captaincy, style of play and expectations completely overwhelmed him.
I think he has done well the last year, hasn’t done too much wrong. Don’t want to rely on him but there’s a huge amount of games and I think he’s good to have there for certain games, for backup also.
His attitude is very good. Always has his head up and faces the music. I’m sure he’s good having him in the dressing room.
It seems a lot won’t ever live down his price tag. 100% agree he was way too much. I think we need to move on from that, though. It’s not his fault that much was paid. And it’s years ago now.
The price tag, captaincy, style of play and expectations completely overwhelmed him.
I think he has done well the last year, hasn’t done too much wrong. Don’t want to rely on him but there’s a huge amount of games and I think he’s good to have there for certain games, for backup also.
His attitude is very good. Always has his head up and faces the music. I’m sure he’s good having him in the dressing room.
Is this just a thread to get the true Maguire haters out?
Only to announce who the annual Maguire-hater’s auto-reply Award goes to?
We should have one. Just for the fun of it.
Only to announce who the annual Maguire-hater’s auto-reply Award goes to?
We should have one. Just for the fun of it.
Must have been hard to see United winning and Maguire do well. This winning the lottery, buying for 80 million, captain of Man United nonsense most of your spout has no bearing on Maguire. He did not make those decisions.
Also how much ever money you have, anyone would buckle under the pressure of being made a laughing stock, an internet meme, being harassed whenever he went. Think of how much stressful it much have been for him and his family.
Human emotions, human stress, human mind, human troubles cross the money barrier. Him being able to be mentally strong and come back in a way and continue redeeming himself is nothing short of spectacular for me. I hated him being in the team, being made the captain, but i can also appreciate that we went overboard and take a step back and think if such levels of abuse is really required for someone trying to do his best.
So excuse me and the other half of United fans who appreciate the work he has done behind the scenes and hope that he keeps upping his standards because, not only will this give him closure about his quality and he will prove to himself, it will also make United strong in having possibly 4 excellent centre backs. Only good for the club.
United is not a charity, Maguire has proven himself, you maybe need to watch his game without hoping that the screws up in order to appreciate his efforts.
It’s possible to make the assertion that United should have cashed in on him when his performances drastically went south whilst also acknowledging that his turn around has been impressive and he’s shown immense resilience to deal with, at times, extremely hostile and toxic criticism. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
So many here are clearly so staunch and fixed in their agenda against Maguire that they can’t even give Maguire that small piece of credit. For what it’s worth, I think Maguire’s time is numbered here but he’s acquitted himself well the past year.
So many here are clearly so staunch and fixed in their agenda against Maguire that they can’t even give Maguire that small piece of credit. For what it’s worth, I think Maguire’s time is numbered here but he’s acquitted himself well the past year.
Top post.
I'm staggered at the standards of some United fans in the thread. You're the most decorated club in the league and one of the biggest worldwide. Maguire is average. The shocking amount of goals you conceded last season, he was part of that defence while not making any obvious blunders himself but there is no way this guy should be any team looking for top spots and dominating football games
Classic auto-response without being pragmatic about the thing. We cant get him off our hands, we all know he’s not been worth the outlay.
Almost no one is saying he’s overall been a good buy. We’re just saying he’s been great for over a year now.
Somehow the people with responses like yours manage to drag a whole other narrative into it, the overall narrative and yes it is true he’s been an overall failure.
We’re just saying he’s currently really good, that’s all. To Maguire hater’s this is simply impossible without having to mention every bad step of Maguire’s United career.
Saying he's one of the best CBs in the world is about as far from the truth as saying he's been horrendous and one of Utd's worst ever signings.
He's done alright lately, he's not been terrible, but he's no where near being one of the best CBs in the world.
I'm happy he's doing better. He got the captain's band way too early and at a very unfortunate period. I agree he's been showing great maturity dealing with losing the captaincy.
I do not agree with people saying "he proved the haters wrong", though. He didn't prove anyone wrong, he was actually shite and too cocky for what he showed on the pitch. What he did was improve on his game, attitude and mentality.
I do not agree with people saying "he proved the haters wrong", though. He didn't prove anyone wrong, he was actually shite and too cocky for what he showed on the pitch. What he did was improve on his game, attitude and mentality.
Literally one of our best signings in the last six years.
I said as a CCB. There are different centre half roles and profiles. As a CCB he's the same profile and level as Rúben Dias or De Ligt. Not fast, but really strong, great communicator and organizer, and a "pure defender" first and foremost. Can completely dominate any forward in the air IMO like we saw vs Fulham. He also has great anticipation and positioning which often doesn't get noticed IMO. I'd say van Dijk and Saliba are the only two defenders who can be considered objectively better than him in that central role, because their physical profile is simply superior as they are more athletic, faster and have very long limbs too. But those two are the two best defenders in the world IMO and can play basically any CB role or position.
EDIT: The only worry with him is that he's 31 and physical decline might set in at some point in the not so distant future. But I've personally not seen anything like that yet so we'll see how the season goes. With De Ligt coming in, a similar CB profile, it's clear to me that ETH isn't counting on Maguire as one of the first names on the team sheet, like he should IMO, so it's likely Maguire's last season at the club unless ETH gets sacked at one point before the end of it.
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A lot of the pressure placed upon Maguire for many years was the product of us paying a stupid transfer fee for him and making him captain of the club so soon after signing. I don't want to be too effusive in the praise for him because the reality is he's been very inconsistent for us over the last couple of years but it was nice to see him do well on Friday night.
It seems like he might be finally falling into a more natural role at United where he can step in and do a job without necessarily being the undisputed starter. We might need to move him on when we get to a point of playing more expansive football but he can still be a useful squad player for us this season if used correctly.
It seems like he might be finally falling into a more natural role at United where he can step in and do a job without necessarily being the undisputed starter. We might need to move him on when we get to a point of playing more expansive football but he can still be a useful squad player for us this season if used correctly.
Last season was easily hectic s best for us. I was a massive critic prior but now I want him to stay. Great backup.
Unpopular but I think he's the best dribbler in the team.
Can't remember the last time he had a bad game. Extremely solid 4th choice centre half who would be particularly useful to rotate, play against the taller sides, and bring on to see a game out or even to nick a goal. Ultimately needs upgraded at some point for a quicker option but for this season I'd be tempted to hold on to him
He has actually been good for us for more time than he has been bad for us. He was off pace in 21-22 and then relegated to bench in 22-23 but was fairly good before 21-22 and has been good since the end of 22-23 as well. He basically had one bad season, and one season in which he played little, sandwiched in-between very solid 3 seasons.
He was really solid on Friday and in terms of old school defending there are not many better in the premier league.
However, we do have to acknowledge that playing such a slow, cumbersome centre back, combined with ETH’s style of play, in addition to having central midfielders that struggle to cover ground is a recipe for disaster!
If our centre backs were able to push up ten yards then our press and the wide open spaces would become far more manageable and we wouldn’t be walked through at ease. As great as his performance was against Fulham, the sooner we can get De Ligt or Yoro into the team the better it will be for our performances
However, we do have to acknowledge that playing such a slow, cumbersome centre back, combined with ETH’s style of play, in addition to having central midfielders that struggle to cover ground is a recipe for disaster!
If our centre backs were able to push up ten yards then our press and the wide open spaces would become far more manageable and we wouldn’t be walked through at ease. As great as his performance was against Fulham, the sooner we can get De Ligt or Yoro into the team the better it will be for our performances
I thought CCB was a typo, I'd disagree with that, simply because he's not fast enough in possession of the ball and not good enough on the ball under pressure.
He's a good player, but whether ETH stays or goes, there's no way he should still be considered good enough for Utd at this stage, he's had 4/5 years now. There's enough evidence in there to show that, backup option maybe, but he's 31 now. At this stage of his career he shouldn't be happy to just be sat on the bench for Utd, because once De Ligt and Yoro settle in, that's where he's going to be. He's good enough to be a starter elsewhere and that's what he should be looking for.
Happy for him. Back to the form that made us and City chase after him
He was really good defensively against Fulham and deserves all the praise. But every header is still going nowhere but the opponents feet and he's still too slow on the ball when we're in the build up, also hesitating too much for no reason. He's a solid back-up option to have now but De Ligt does things Maguire can't do.
That slow decision making in the back is so annoying to watch and Wan Bissaka was also a big offender in doing the same at times. Watching Mazraoui play was a delight.
That slow decision making in the back is so annoying to watch and Wan Bissaka was also a big offender in doing the same at times. Watching Mazraoui play was a delight.
For the amount we paid for him he has been a bad signing. Mainly because of how badly thought out it was rather than any fault of his own
His problem is that EtH will not start players entirely on their performance, because then he would be nailed on as a starter atm. Defensively he’s been great and he also wins back every ball in the air when we lose possession, meaning we could keep the pressure on. Together with a quick defender or someone covering for him, he could be useful in a high line. But I don’t think he represents the kind of football EtH wants to play, he’s not part of the vision. And he hasn’t gathered all his mates from Ajax to put them on the bench. We have seen how much Antony played despite being really poor. It’s impossible to say if that was favouritism or having a vision, but Maguire will need to fight this either way. He will need to be a lot better than his colleagues to find himself in the starting xi. His biggest chance is probably that EtH gets sacked and a new coach comes in. Or injuries.
He is keeping De Ligt out based on form at this moment.
Maguire has turned his career around from being a laughing stock for club and country and I take my hat off to him because he showed some pair of cojones to get his place back last season and be one of our better players.
Whether he stays in the team is another story but he deserves huge credit for keeping his head down and working his arse off for the good of the team.
Whether he stays in the team is another story but he deserves huge credit for keeping his head down and working his arse off for the good of the team.
Remember the dribble down the right wing, then looked around and realised there was nobody to pass too
I feel Rashford could learn off of his resurgence, in that you do your talking on the pitch and not in the media.
He will keep his place if he performs like he did on Friday. Confidence can destroy a player and the trolls don't help. Fair play to him, he played well back end of last season too.
Same - and I think he deserves singling out/praise for it due to the amount of criticism he got, as it would have been enough to bury most players.
He didn't just have the worst season of his career imo, he was an absolute horror show and didn't even look like a professional footballer, and it went on for most of an entire season. Compared to Friday where he was a mountain and (imo) easily the best player on the pitch, which from last season's form wasn't that big of a surprise.
I have to hold my hands up and say back at the end of Ole's reign I wanted him gone and didn't even see him lasting in the PL never mind at United. Now very glad he didn't go to West Ham last year, and a lot of people even at that point were feeding themselves an awful lot of what's turned out to be humble pie.
In hindsight I think Ole brought him back when he wasn't fit, he had two horror games against Leicester and Liverpool as a result, and it wrecked his confidence. He's not the quickest or most mobile anyway so playing him when he's not at 100% was always going to make him an easy target. When he is fully fit and his head is in the right place he's a very good defender. He's shown that too often now for it to be a fluke.
THe problem now isn't how bad he is, its how ETH can justify dropping him. Luckily if we don't ham up the Europa League we're going to have enough games to need 3 centrebacks playing regularly.