"Harry Maguire had an issue in the first half and, luckily for us, he overcame and recovered from it," Ten Hag said with relief.
"You can see the second half he was up there and then he can express his leadership, he can express his defensive qualities and rest on the ball, we especially needed that in this back four."
Within eight months, Ten Hag has gone from not needing Maguire to needing him. His specific admiration for Maguire's leadership was a tad rich when he had stripped him of the captaincy but this has been a season of contradictions from the United manager.
Maguire has had a laudable campaign, especially considering his starting point. Impressionable fans in America and Ireland booed him during pre-season yet when Maguire limped off against Bayern Munich in December he was serenaded by the Old Trafford regulars.
Andre Onana was playing to the gallery in Las Vegas when he let rip at Maguire during the defeat to Borussia Dortmund. At Bournemouth, Onana offered his teammate a high five during a tactical timeout.
Maguire has not been this valued at United in almost three years. His strengths were more obvious when he was absent for the 2020-21 runin as United sieved nine goals in five matches. Maguire recovered from injury to earn a place in the European Championship team of the tournament.
Denne historien er fra April 18, 2024-utgaven av Manchester Evening News.
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Denne historien er fra April 18, 2024-utgaven av Manchester Evening News.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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'We must show personality and character'
LISANDRO Martinez has warned United’s players must show ‘personality and character’ in the coming weeks.
Any progress over the past few games has been brutally dismantled...
SEVERAL United supporters headed for the exit in the 64th minute after the ball zipped past Andre Onana for a third time. They had seen this before - just over a year ago.
'Inevitable ending' for Rashford's time at Reds
SKY Sports pundit and former United defender Gary Neville believes Marcus Rashford’s time at the club has an ‘inevitable ending’ after the forward was left out of Ruben Amorim’s matchday squad for a third consecutive game.
LEAKY ROOF INTERRUPTS AMORIM'S PRESS CALL
RUBEN Amorim's post-match press conference was interrupted by a leak in the ceiling yesterday.
WE DESERVE MORE FROM GAMES - MARTINEZ
LISANDRO Martinez believes United are ‘playing well’ and deserve more for their performances with Ruben Amorim in charge.
Boss refuses to blame United's set-piece coach
RUBEN Amorim admitted that United became nervous against Bournemouth from the moment they conceded a set-piece – and that the anxiety came from the stands as well as from the players.
'Everybody is so anxious, everyone in the club is tired of these moments'
RUBEN Amorim felt United were anxious from the first minute of their humbling by Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
City's 'low confidence' key for Villa
ASTON Villa manager Unai Emery has admitted his side felt they could take advantage of City’s lack of confidence during their 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s side on Saturday.
'We are not solid on the ball, we are not creating much and that defines the team at this moment'
CITY'S woeful run of form continued as the Blues slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime.
FURY DECISION IS JUST 'NUTS'
PROMOTER Frank Warren was quick to express his dismay following Tyson Fury’s unanimous points loss to world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh, describing the scoring as ‘nuts’.
