If you have watched Manchester United over the last couple of months, you won’t have failed to have noticed the captain getting forward a bit more. By that, we don’t mean the sight of Maguire ambling up to the opposition box for corners and set-pieces, but taking the ball himself into the final third – and staying up there. It’s largely escaped the attention of mainstream sports media analysis, but it has been remarked upon by commentators during several games. It’s clear that Harry Maguire is getting forward more, but is that a good thing for United?
The first thing to note is that this is not new for Maguire. During the 2018 World Cup, fans enjoyed seeing Maguire be aggressive. During the 2-1 victory against Tunisia, Maguire provided an assist, three shots and even a left-wing dribble. Last November against Iceland, Maguire had a similar attacking impact in a 4-0 victory, his heatmap showing that he almost played like a left midfielder. That sort of thing has largely been stifled in his United career. But whether it’s been planned with Solskjaer, or something the captain has taken upon himself, it is much more apparent in 2021.
United difficult to figure out
Opposition is key, however. For Tunisia and Iceland in international games, read Crystal Palace and West Brom in the Premier League. For all the good results, analysing United game by game this season has not been easy. Pundits often say that United struggle to breakdown lesser teams, but that’s only partly true. United have struggled against poor teams, but only on a handful of occasions. However, it is in these games that Maguire decides to take matters into his own hands, particularly when United can’t get a grip on the match.
One issue that becoming apparent is that Maguire is bypassing the midfield. The likes of Fred and McTominay are not the kind of midfield generals that can drive United forward in the same way as former players like Bryan Robson and Roy Keane. McTominay has been praised for his goals contribution this season, but he has had far fewer shots (19) than Maguire (31) in the league. In fact, only Fernandes, Martial, Rashford and Greenwood have had more shots than United’s captain.
Pogba absence has encouraged Maguire
3 – All three of Harry Maguire's Premier League goals for Manchester United have been headers from corners. Slabhead. pic.twitter.com/40lV2ym0zy
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 27, 2021
Most of Maguire’s forward play comes down the left-hand side of the pitch. We know that’s United’s most potent attacking space, with the right-hand side proving problematic despite the best efforts of Wan-Bissaka and whomever – James, Greenwood, Rashford – operates ahead of him. The left-hand side of midfield is also where Paul Pogba likes to operate when given freedom by United’s formation. Is it a coincidence that Maguire’s forward play has coincided with the Frenchman’s injury layoff? Probably not.
And that get’s to the heart of it. Maguire has looked to fill a void in United’s midfield at a time when the team is not getting a handle of the ball in that area. For all the criticism Pogba has taken down the years, you cannot fault his desire to get on the ball during games and move it forward quickly. Pogba is on the verge of his return, so it will be worth keeping an eye on Maguire’s positioning if the Frenchman is in the line-up.
This probably points to a verdict that most fans agree on – United need a new centre midfielder in the summer. It’s nice to see Maguire try to carry the team in attack, but, let’s be honest, that’s not where you want him. For all his endeavours, he has but one assist and two goals this season. The captain spoke about his limitations himself after the horror miss against AC Milan.
