“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, implementation team and fans. I feel your love and support, I really appreciate it,” Maguire himself responded in a post on social networks. Which was extremely professional of him. Because, quite frankly, it’s not just United supporters who haven’t really got behind him in the recent past.
Premier League Player of the Month ???? Couldn’t have done it without my team mates, the staff and you fans. Your love and support doesn’t go unnoticed, I appreciate it ❤️ @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/hNU3GX3PMY
— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) December 8, 2023
After all, Maguire is paying for an old-school stopper. He is a classic duel defender, strong in the air. But with the ball at his feet, he sometimes looks a little clumsy, and sometimes he doesn’t even forgive a foul or an own goal. The Old Trafford team bought him from Leicester in 2019 for an astronomical 80 million pounds (almost two and a quarter billion crowns at the exchange rate at the time).
And quite frankly, last season, for example, Maguire did not pay off the investment by any means. In the quarter-finals of the Europa League, Minelou made a significant impact as he was eliminated against the eventual winner from Sevilla, he did not make the most confident impression even in the domestic competition, and due to repeated mistakes, he fell out of the ideal eleven over time. In addition, he lost the role of captain.
That is also why he became the victim of several sadly comical events this year. Let’s remember, for example, United’s fight with Arsenal in September (1:3), when the Gunners’ fans started cheering when Maguire came from the bench onto the pitch. A week later, he was made fun of by Scotland supporters during a match against England, when they “appreciated” each of his successful passes with sarcastic cheers. By the way, Maguire himself didn’t help matters much at the time, as he scored a patriot in the 3-1 win…
“We are in a situation where even the opponent’s fans are shooting at him just because of how we perceive him in England. This is a really stupid joke,” raged national team coach Gareth Southgate at the time.
Three months later, however, Maguire found himself in a diametrically different situation. He was able to return to the starting line-up of the Red Devils, not missing a minute on the pitch since the end of October. In November, he significantly contributed to three clean sheets and the same number of league victories. In addition, he blocked the most shots (6) and was silver in the number of aerial battles won (16) of any Premier League player during this period.
That is why he was shortlisted for the best player of the month award. And in a vote involving both fans and experts, he finally trumped all the others. He thus became the first defender since February 2022 to receive the award. That’s when Joel Matip from Liverpool rejoiced.
In addition, he also receives praise from coach Erik ten Hag. “Harry plays the way we imagine. He dominates in defensive battles, reads the game well and covers spaces,” said the Dutch coach after his team easily defeated Luton (3:0).
The story of Maguire’s redemption resonates throughout England. The 30-year-old Englishman had one foot at West Ham in the summer and it looked like his stay in Manchester was about to come to an inglorious end. In recent weeks, however, he has become exactly the support that the Red Devils imagined years ago, when they sent a hefty package to Leicester’s account for him.
2023-12-09 09:34:28
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