It’s been quite the season for Erik ten Hag at Man United during 2023/24, not least because of the huge amount of injuries that the Dutchman has had to deal with.
Defensively the Red Devils have looked shot to pieces at times, but then the Red Devils have never really had a settled back four for any length of time.
Ultimately, it’s the manager that carries the can for a lack of positive results, with the reasons potentially for the same occurring often overlooked.
One player that ten Hag himself overlooked for long periods was England international, Harry Maguire.
Erik ten Hag is pleased Harry Maguire stayed at Man United
So much so that Man United had even agreed a fee with West Ham to take the centre-back down to the capital.
For his part, Maguire never appeared interested in leaving Old Trafford, and that’s a decision that ten Hag has now effectively admitted he was glad about.
“We were always very happy with Harry Maguire, but he wanted to play,” he was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
“He’s a great leader, he’s a very good defender and very comfortable on the ball.
“When I count all of those abilities, on our defending line we have problems, he is even more important to lead that line and to make us play from the back.
“We are very pleased he is there and we need him to get our results and achieve our targets.”
What Maguire’s attitude does show is that he has the character and resilience to be able to take the rough with the smooth and deal with them equally.
Plenty of other players would’ve allowed their standards to drop both in training and in matches, but Maguire appears to have continued doing exactly the same as always until his chance came again.
Credit should also go to ten Hag for swallowing his pride. Some managers might’ve stuck with their original decision, cutting off their nose to spite their face.
Ten Hag clearly saw the value in bringing Maguire back into the fold and it’s paid off handsomely.
To give some context as to where we’re at now, it isn’t too much of a stretch to suggest that the defender is once again one of the first names on the team sheet.
From zero to hero…