Harry Maguire

Litch

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Genuinely though can you actually? In the first half today Maguire went on a mazy run all the way down the wing, how many other centre backs could actually do that, especially when you factor in his immense physical presence. Personally I believe that the reason he is underrated is because he's English and unglamorous and Utd fans are even more petrified because we have two players (Smalling and Jones) that sub-consciously are being compared to him as failures.

Maguire literally ticks every box:
  • Arial ability (at both ends)
  • English
  • Good Age
  • Physical
  • Leader (Vocal)
  • Strong mentality (Has a good attitude and will be unfazed with criticism)
The only question marks are pace and perhaps mobility however, firstly id argue they are overstated weaknesses and secondly that is exactly what a good defensive partner (i.e Lindelof) would cover.

He's a class act on and off the pitch and would be a great asset for this club, whether he is better than others (I.e Koulibaly) i have no idea but he's certainly a huge improvement on what we have.
Yep def fits the Utd profile and the type of player you'd imagine would be here for a good few years...
 

LuisNaniencia

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I was going to say Rojo instead....but he's available for selection even less than Jones seemingly. :lol:

Man. United don't half have some defenders on their books who aren't seen in months...Valencia for one, is Darmain still on your books or did he get sold in the window?
Nope, Darmian has nearly been sold about 5 times but is still here. Expecting a major clear out this summer.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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If just ball playing is the only criteria for the caf, then why not get Johnny Evans back. He wont cost a fortune
Because that isnt the only criteria, at least in my mind that needs to mesh with a significant physical presence and most of all a dominant aerial game which Johnny evens has never provided, Maguire does provide all those things.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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Yep def fits the Utd profile and the type of player you'd imagine would be here for a good few years...
Absolutely agree, can't seem him going anywhere else if he turns out to be top class
 

Keeps It tidy

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Genuinely though can you actually? In the first half today Maguire went on a mazy run all the way down the wing, how many other centre backs could actually do that, especially when you factor in his immense physical presence. Personally I believe that the reason he is underrated is because he's English and unglamorous and Utd fans are even more petrified because we have two players (Smalling and Jones) that sub-consciously are being compared to him as failures.
I think he gets more credit than he should because he is English and you would not expect an English CB of his size to be capable of that. And while he is pretty good bringing the ball out of defense his actual passing ability is overstated.
 

FootballHQ

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If just ball playing is the only criteria for the caf, then why not get Johnny Evans back. He wont cost a fortune
He's much worse on the ball than Maguire. I counted three crossfield balls in the second half that sailed out of play.

Evans is a decent stopper for mid table club but that's very much his level unless you want a cheapo squad defender.
 

Jimmy Skitz

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When you were linked last summer I was actually surprised you weren't offering Phil Jones to them to try to bridge that transfer valuation gap. Jones been at the club since 2011 so you know his level by now and it isn't going to magically improve. Smalling is better but another season where he's picked up niggling injuries so struggles to get that rhythm.
why the hell would we want to have Phil Jones as part of any deal?
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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I think he gets more credit than he should because he is English and you would not expect an English CB of his size to be capable of that. And while he is pretty good bringing the ball out of defense his actual passing ability is overstated.
Yeh thats fair enough, I wouldn't argue that his passing between the lines is incredible but it is certainly strong. His ability to dribble the ball out is actually phenomenal though, one moment early in the first half he's being hounded by two Utd players and he didn't panic, he remained calm turned his man and won a throw which really highlights his ability. I think if you look at the bigger picture Lindelof has shown he is capable of those pinpoint ball from the back so having Maguire able to dribble out is a nice foil. Added bonus he's a proper left CB so that allows Victor to shift to his natural right side.
 

Dante

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Nobody overrates him because he's English.

But on the contrary, you constantly see posts where people play him down with the reasoning that he's English.
 

Bobski

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Have you lot not been paying attention to Leicester this season at all then? He's barely good enough for them.

We have plenty of average centrebacks as it is.
People just tend to ignore all the defensive mistakes he makes because he looks so good on the ball, the problem with that is as soon as he gets his big move the blinkers will have to come off. Being able to dribble down the left wing might make you a good footballer but it doesn't reveal much about your defensive quality.
 

Kostov

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Yes is unfair but if he comes to Utd that will be par for the course, we hyper-analysis conceded goals to see who is culpable. He could have defended better for that goal, Rashford was the threat, fantastic pass, take and finish probably means even switched on he does not get close but the lack of awareness has to be noted.
You are right, he will be much more scrutinized in a team like ours, and he might be exposed. Something about the guy that really makes me like though, we could have done with him for that price when he moved from Hull.
 

noodlehair

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People just tend to ignore all the defensive mistakes he makes because he looks so good on the ball, the problem with that is as soon as he gets his big move the blinkers will have to come off. Being able to dribble down the left wing might make you a good footballer but it doesn't reveal much about your defensive quality.
I'm not even sure what it makes you. You have wingers and wingbacks to dribble down the left wing. Maguire just does it more slowly than them and usually ends up miles out of position when it inevitable results in his team losing the ball. You rarely if ever see any positives come from his strolling around with the ball.

I don't actually think he's that bad defensively but he is far too slow for any top level team. Leicester basically play with 6 defenders yet look no less vulnerable at the back than we do.
 

Moriarty

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You are right, he will be much more scrutinized in a team like ours, and he might be exposed. Something about the guy that really makes me like though, we could have done with him for that price when he moved from Hull.
Played well today. Did well in Russia last summer for England too so he's got plenty of experience. You'll get the English premium added but I wouldn't mind him at United.
 

Moriarty

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I'm not even sure what it makes you. You have wingers and wingbacks to dribble down the left wing. Maguire just does it more slowly than them and usually ends up miles out of position when it inevitable results in his team losing the ball. You rarely if ever see any positives come from his strolling around with the ball.

I don't actually think he's that bad defensively but he is far too slow for any top level team. Leicester basically play with 6 defenders yet look no less vulnerable at the back than we do.
You're right but this part of his game can be coached out of him if it doesn't suit. Pace isn't something that's easily fixed though. Even so, I think he's got the making of a United-quality centre half.
 

SAFMUTD

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I dont think he is even nearly good enough for what Leicester would ask for him, yes he is physical but not even close to world class.

Today we were poor in attack but I cant see him leading a top defense.
 
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Genuinely though can you actually? In the first half today Maguire went on a mazy run all the way down the wing, how many other centre backs could actually do that, especially when you factor in his immense physical presence. Personally I believe that the reason he is underrated is because he's English and unglamorous and Utd fans are even more petrified because we have two players (Smalling and Jones) that sub-consciously are being compared to him as failures.

Maguire literally ticks every box:
  • Arial ability (at both ends)
  • English
  • Good Age
  • Physical
  • Leader (Vocal)
  • Strong mentality (Has a good attitude and will be unfazed with criticism)
The only question marks are pace and perhaps mobility however, firstly id argue they are overstated weaknesses and secondly that is exactly what a good defensive partner (i.e Lindelof) would cover.

He's a class act on and off the pitch and would be a great asset for this club, whether he is better than others (I.e Koulibaly) i have no idea but he's certainly a huge improvement on what we have.
So you're saying we should TrustInMaguire?
 

MikeKing

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He is better than Smalling, Jones and Bailly on the ball, better than all our defenders in the air except Smalling. He is probably at the same level defensively as Jones though. He would be an improvement but not by a lot, at all.
 

Hoof the ball

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Let's not overstate Maguire's ball-playing ability here.

He ran out of defence, sure, but he ran himself into blind alley not once lifting his head to find support. The run looks clever enough, but it's not especially intelligent. The great ball-carriers don't just march on into the opposition end like a freight train. Certainly you don't see Van Dijk doing that. You never saw the likes of Koeman do it, or Ramos, etc.

Also, aside from having an admirably progressive approach to football, which I will concede is refreshing, his passing weight and accuracy is not as good as some people make out. He delivered a cross field ball today which should have been fairly simple; it sailed above the Leicester right-back's head and went off for a throw-in. Maguire is guilty of this constantly.
 

ravi2

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He is better than Smalling, Jones and Bailly on the ball, better than all our defenders in the air except Smalling. He is probably at the same level defensively as Jones though. He would be an improvement but not by a lot, at all.
He would be an improvement but what we really need an experienced seasoned CB who can partner Lindelof and he isnt that.
 

Bobski

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I'm not even sure what it makes you. You have wingers and wingbacks to dribble down the left wing. Maguire just does it more slowly than them and usually ends up miles out of position when it inevitable results in his team losing the ball. You rarely if ever see any positives come from his strolling around with the ball.

I don't actually think he's that bad defensively but he is far too slow for any top level team. Leicester basically play with 6 defenders yet look no less vulnerable at the back than we do.
Given how poor his recovery abilities are when out of position I could see it becoming a tactic of the opposition to encourage him to push forward with the ball and find himself out of position when it breaks down. Playing in a more attacking side with less defensive cover could make that a major liability, David Luiz comes to mind.

You could coach and request that Rio simplified his game, cut out some of the unnecessary flash and he still has world class defensive ability to fall back on, Maguire simplified is what? An aerial force with questionable mobility/agility.

I am fascinated to see what happens when he gets his move, fun player to watch no doubt but there could be some teething problems for him at the next level.
 

Suedesi

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This has been posted before, and it's not a great look for Maguire. It basically shows passing range for various centerbacks in Europe, where each bar chart measures the passing range of each player. All the passes are divided by 6 directions (top-forward, bottom-backward, right-right, left-left) and 3 distances (closest to center-shortest pass, farthest from the center-longest passes). Color represents pass' success rate (standardized by z-score) of a group of passes.
 

starman

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Ole likes him
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer singles out ‘fantastic’ Harry Maguire after Manchester United defeat Leicester

And I think that Harry Maguire has got a magnet on his head because it nearly always drops to him.

‘A fantastic player in the box. So we knew we had to defend against him and out lads, they blocked, put their bodies on the line so it was a fantastic effort and they were fighting for each other.’
https://metro.co.uk/2019/02/03/ole-...nchester-united-defeat-leicester-8432210/amp/
 

noodlehair

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Given how poor his recovery abilities are when out of position I could see it becoming a tactic of the opposition to encourage him to push forward with the ball and find himself out of position when it breaks down. Playing in a more attacking side with less defensive cover could make that a major liability, David Luiz comes to mind.

You could coach and request that Rio simplified his game, cut out some of the unnecessary flash and he still has world class defensive ability to fall back on, Maguire simplified is what? An aerial force with questionable mobility/agility.

I am fascinated to see what happens when he gets his move, fun player to watch no doubt but there could be some teething problems for him at the next level.
Yeah I think he would be targetted. There's no arguing about his strength in the air, but the way we (now) and other top teams play has an expectency of centrebacks to be mobile, read the game and push up the pitch.

It's easy street for him at Leicester as they just sit there and only come out when the other team backs off or on the break themselves, and even so he gets exposed too often.

And I don't think swaggering around the pitch with the ball is actually a good thing unless there's an end product to it. Either scoring, assisting or at least creating space for other players. Doing it just because you can is just wasting time and energy.

If he wasn't so slow I'd be tempted to say he'd be a good match for someone like Lindeloff, but we'd end up with other players being reluctant to move forwards in case they have to cover for him, or having to change how we play back to Mouirnho tactics so teams don't just keep lobbing the ball in behind us.
 

noodlehair

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You're right but this part of his game can be coached out of him if it doesn't suit. Pace isn't something that's easily fixed though. Even so, I think he's got the making of a United-quality centre half.
I don't think it's so easy to coach ingrained habits out of players. Especially when people keep praising them for said habits.

I think it's a bit harsh to discount someone based on pace or lack of mobility alone, but I also think you have to. The only way he'd be able to compensate is by being extremely good positionally, and with his awareness and alertness to danger, but he's the opposite of that for me. Set pieces and when his team are sitting back he's fine. As soon as the game isstretched he's almost never in the right place.
 

Cascarino

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I don't think it's so easy to coach ingrained habits out of players. Especially when people keep praising them for said habits.

I think it's a bit harsh to discount someone based on pace or lack of mobility alone, but I also think you have to. The only way he'd be able to compensate is by being extremely good positionally, and with his awareness and alertness to danger, but he's the opposite of that for me. Set pieces and when his team are sitting back he's fine. As soon as the game isstretched he's almost never in the right place.
These are things he's very good at.
 

Isotope

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Didn't look great today against Rashford did he.
So did our other target from Spurs ;)

I see him in Bruce level. And I don't think a modern Bruce worth 75m.

His England NT partner, on the other hand, would worth every penny.
 

mav_9me

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He’s a very good player. And he plays as the left sided centre back. He’s my choice for our centre back signing in the summer.
I don't see him as much better than Jones. I think Bailly is better but that's just my opinion. Even if he is definitely better than all our defenders he is not 75 or 80m pounds better. We'd be better off spending 100m on Koulibaly.
 

Keeps It tidy

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I don't see him as much better than Jones. I think Bailly is better but that's just my opinion. Even if he is definitely better than all our defenders he is not 75 or 80m pounds better. We'd be better off spending 100m on Koulibaly.
Yeah if he is the best CB we can sign I think we should just stay with Bailly ad Lindelof.
 

Canagel

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He has no pace. We can't have defenders that turn like a tractor unfortunately. Inspite of being good in the air and decent on ball.
 

Solius

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I don't see him as much better than Jones. I think Bailly is better but that's just my opinion. Even if he is definitely better than all our defenders he is not 75 or 80m pounds better. We'd be better off spending 100m on Koulibaly.
He is much better than Jones, crazy to say otherwise. I still don't think we should sign him though, a lot of better CBs out there.