Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been praised by pundit Garth Crooks after his commanding performance for the Red Devils in their draw with Everton at the weekend.
The England international has had his ups and downs in his first season at Old Trafford following his summer move from Leicester City, but most Man Utd fans would surely agree that he’s been a fine signing, and that he’s adapted well to playing in a team that has all kinds of other problems at the moment.
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Maguire made Crooks’ team of the week on BBC Sport, and the pundit admits he’s been hugely impressed by how much he’s improved since he first noticed him at Hull City a few years ago.
Crooks has described Maguire’s development as “phenomenal”, and also praised the authority he’s shown at United, having already been handed the captain’s armband by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
He said: “The development in Maguire’s career has been quite phenomenal. The player I saw playing for Hull City against Chelsea, which is when I first clapped eyes on him, has grown from a promising defender into an international player.
“Now, he’s not just playing for Manchester United but he is their captain and a leading figure in their defensive unit.
“Against Everton he was the player who immediately brought Gylfi Sigurdsson’s offside position to the referee’s attention, leading to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury-time ‘goal’ being disallowed – and Maguire was right, of course. But it was also the way the England international practically lifted Fred off his feet and threw the player out of what had the potential to be an ugly confrontation with the referee that really impressed me. Now, that’s authority.”
MUFC fans will now just hope Maguire can repay his price tag with more big performances to help the club grab fourth place by the end of the season.