Harry Maguire went from being out of favour under Erik ten Hag to putting in a dominant Man of the Match performance in Manchester United's latest win. Jadon Sancho, who hasn't featured for the club since last month, can learn a thing or two from his teammate.
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The English centre-back has endured arguably the most difficult period of his senior career in England since Ten Hag's appointment at the Theatre of Dreams in 2022, having largely been used as a back-up option to the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane. Even Victor Lindelof has been preferred at times over the England defender, who caught the eye with a brilliant display as United claimed all three points in a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United this past Saturday.
It, of course, should be taken into account that the Red Devils were up against the Blades, who are still without a win in the Premier League this season, but it is still hugely impressive of Maguire to show such strength when it would be more understandable for him to want to hide! The 30-year-old has been strongly criticised from all sides over the past season and a half, a sentiment that has even seeped into his relationship with England supporters despite him having largely performed well under Gareth Southgate. Against Sheffield United, Maguire kept attackers at bay and played some fine stuff with the ball at his feet, earning praise afterwards from Ten Hag, who suggested that the former Leicester City man is beginning to play exactly the way his coaches want him to. These comments came after it was well-documented that the club were looking to sell Maguire in the transfer window at the start of the campaign. The defender, however, decided to stay at Old Trafford to fight for his place in the side, and, with Martinez out injured and Varane having struggled with fitness issues this season, he has started to get more minutes and, more importantly, is taking his chances.
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None of this happens without Maguire's resolute attitude or his unwavering self-belief. Ten Hag is repaying his former captain's hard work with a place in the team, and right now it looks to be a smart decision on the manager's part. Maguire's road to redemption should inspire his English compatriot Sancho, who has been totally frozen out after refusing to apologise for his social media response to comments Ten Hag had made about him in a press conference. The Dutch tactician explained his absence for a league game against Arsenal by saying he had not trained well enough to get into the squad, remarks Sancho took issue with but has done little about. Still, the 23-year-old winger is training away from his colleagues, but perhaps the path of least resistance, the one Maguire chose, is the one he should take if he wants to salvage his United career.
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