Former forward turned pundit Troy Deeney has heaped praise on Manchester United star Harry Maguire following his ‘fantastic’ performance against Liverpool on Sunday.
After moving to Old Trafford from Leicester City for a huge fee back in 2019, the 32-year-old enjoyed a bright start, and former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made him the club captain.
However, the Englishman failed to continue his impressive performances and went through a very difficult period. He faced harsh criticism and online trolling.
Former manager Erik ten Hag stripped him of the captaincy duty and was even willing to sell him. But Ruben Amorim has made him a key player in his starting line-up. Moreover, the Portuguese boss has included Maguire in his team’s leadership group.
The former Leicester star has been repaying Amorim’s trust in recent months. He scored the winner against Olympique Lyonnais in the Europa League last campaign and did the same against Liverpool in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday. This is United’s first victory away against Liverpool in almost a decade.
While creating the Team of the Week for BBC Sport, Deeney included Maguire and said that the 32-year-old was ‘absolutely unreal’ against Arne Slot’s side. Moreover, the pundit stated that Maguire is a real leader and was the player of the weekend.
Pundit lauds Maguire
Deeney said:
“Man of the weekend. He was absolutely unreal in the 2-1 win at Liverpool. How many times has this man been written off, both as a player for England, as a captain for Manchester United?
“If you listen to everything, he has been the problem apparently, however he was fantastic. A real leader, nothing too fancy and that is what you want from your centre-backs. He was effective and very good.”
Maguire has started three Premier League games thus far this season, with United winning two of those matches. Amorim’s side are currently in mid-table with 13 points from eight games, sitting only two points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.
Following a crucial victory over Liverpool, Man Utd will face off against Brighton in the league next weekend, and they can’t afford to think of anything but a victory from this fixture. The Seagulls are currently unbeaten in the last four league games, winning two of those.
