Maguire must start! Man Utd defender has UNBELIEVABLE record over last year
Robin Bairner
- 21 Oct 2023 22:39 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire was named as player of the match as the Red Devils secured a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday, extending an incredible run of form that the club has enjoyed when he has started.
Although often a target for critics, Man Utd have won 15 of the last 16 games that the England international has featured in from the outset, suggesting that manager Erik ten Hag should consider promoting the 30-year-old back into the front line of his defence.
Only an injury crisis has brought Maguire, who was strongly linked with a summer transfer to West Ham, back into the starting XI for the Old Trafford side, and he played a key role as goals from Scott McTominay and Diogo Dalot allowed Ten Hag’s side to claim a hard-fought three points at Bramall Lane.
But there is a trend of United excelling when the former Leicester, Hull and Sheffield United defender is handed the responsibility to start matches.
Man Utd top scorers 2023/24: McTominay and Dalot strike at Sheffield United
In all competitions, Maguire has won 15 of the 16 games that he has started, being on the wrong side of the scoreline only once.
He has been left out on 42 occasions, and from these matches, Man Utd have picked up only 22 victories – barely a 50% win success.
Equally, Man Utd have conceded almost half as many goals when Maguire starts compared to when he is left out.
Maguire's incredible Man Utd record since October 2022
| With | Without | |
| Games | 16 | 42 |
| Wins | 15 | 22 |
| Defeats | 1 | 13 |
| Win ratio | 94% | 54% |
| Goals conceded per game | 0.7 | 1.3 |
Maguire hails Man Utd’s adaptability
Speaking after the match, Maguire revealed that he told his Man Utd colleagues before the game that they were in for a battle.
“Coming here, I reiterated to the lads that it was going to be tough. I think in the first 20 minutes, they were the better team. They caught us by surprise with the formation that they were playing, but I felt like we adapted to it after they got the equaliser and in the second half we were in real control of the game,” he explained to Sky Sports.
“We know we can play better than we did tonight, it wasn’t a perfect performance, but it’s an important win.”
Man Utd are now up to eighth in the Premier League with five wins from nine games.
