One thing Harry Maguire never did was give up on himself, even though others seemed to have made up their minds about him.
How easy it would have been for the 31-year-old to have had a crisis of confidence. Booed by his own fans; routinely mocked; witnessing a sign of two new centre-backs ahead of him this summer; completely missing out on the Euro 2024 and the England selection this week; ruthlessly stripped of the captaincy after years as United’s de facto leader; is constantly associated with a transfer out of the home.
Instead, he has shown exactly what it takes to survive at one of the biggest clubs in the world – and created a moment that may well ensure his manager’s survival as well.
“Thanks for the gift,” Maguire posted on his Instagram Story in a message to assistant creator Christian Eriksen. His manager may have to write a thank you note himself after this late, late show through the fog in Porto.
When all hope seemed lost and Manchester United were inexplicably on their way to another embarrassing 2-0 defeat in Europe, the player stepped up, stripped of the captaincy and dropped down the pecking order to potentially take Erik ten Hag’s job. to rescue.
Harry Maguire might have ensured Erik ten Hag’s survival with his late equalizer
Whether this is a Mark Robins-like moment for Maguire’s Ten Hag remains to be seen. For now it is too early to tell. The late rescue here has hardly eased the pressure, just days after another grueling trip, this time to Aston Villa on Sunday, when the push button is turned straight back up.
But there was something symbolic here in Maguire that he was sent off the bench to complete a save after Bruno Fernandes, the man who replaced him as captain a year ago, was sent off for the second time in five days sent.
As Maguire was seen undressed on the touchline preparing to come on, he was deep in conversation with Ten Hag, who animatedly pointed to key areas of the pitch where United had been struggling.
Matthjis de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, the first choice central defender for Ten Hag, who has relegated Maguire to the bench, had nightmarish evenings. Ten Hag had no excuse but to swallow his pride and hook both.
And while the first port of call’s message will have been to bring a sense of calm to a rattled backline, Maguire’s aerial presence always presents an opportunity from set pieces – and so it proved.
Online and in the stadium, there were snorts of derision from the pockets of those following United. Chasing a match and Ten Hag turned to Maguire, that’s enough.
Forty-five seconds into added time there was Maguire, who created space in the area to rise highest and meet Christian Eriksen’s corner. Clean contact and inside. It was a powerful message in more ways than one on a day when Maguire was once again rejected by England. Are you watching Lee Carsley?
Maguire came off the bench to save a draw for his side at the Estadio do Dragao
Sources indicated to Mail Sport that Maguire, who was in a fitness race for the squad to even play Porto, had made a request to Ten Hag and his coaches to at least be included on the bench due to the magnitude of the match .
The magnitude of the game, with the pressure once again on his manager, meant Maguire was keen to put his body on the line in case he was needed.
Sources routinely speak of Maguire’s professionalism, never one to grumble, cause a fuss or make things difficult. Instead, he has often shown a willingness to play through the pain barrier for a manager who at times appeared to have written the Englishman off after he had a miserable first season under Ten Hag.
Although the armband is now in Fernandes’ possession, Maguire remains a key leader in the dressing room for Ten Hag and United and even with his match-saving contribution here he remained key in the dressing room investigation that followed.
As a group of FC Porto players waited patiently outside the closed door to swap shirts, Maguire was among those sharing home truths that, once again, the standard was not up to par.
“The manager spoke, some of the staff spoke and the players spoke,” Maguire told TNT.
The English defender headed home from a corner in the first minute of injury time
‘When you get 2-0 away from home you have to be a bit firmer and there were far too many gaps. There were definitely too many crosses in the box and in the end they punished us for that.
‘It happens far too often [conceding in quick succession]. Every time you concede, you have to reset and go back to the game plan that got us ahead. It’s something we need to improve. If we want to be successful this season, we can’t keep conceding two goals.’
Five years on from his £80million move from Leicester City, Maguire has found a way to embrace the pressure at United, rather than cower under it.
“I have been playing for this club for six years, I know how it works,” he added. ‘When things are going badly for you, players come under pressure, and that also applies to the manager. He has enough experience and has been at this club long enough, so I’m sure he knows how to deal with it. It’s part of the privilege of playing for this club.’
As Maguire walked to the end, he clenched his fist and threw his arm to the United fans in the top tier in celebration. While in the media complex he fell back into one game at a time, on the field he knew how important this moment was, both personally and collectively.
New signing Matthijs de Ligt had another difficult performance for his new club on Thursday evening
Even as teammates waited to head back to the team hotel, it was Maguire and Jonny Evans who were back on the field, running extra hard to achieve their goals before calling it a day. Younger players can learn a thing or two about posture and application.
Maguire now has to play against Aston Villa on Sunday, such was his contribution in saving this one. As United’s best performing centre-back at the moment, he should be the first name on the team sheet when it comes to selecting a defense to face Unai Emery’s in-form side.
Ineos chief and United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be in town to watch United – and Ten Hag – at Villa Park in what many see as D-Day for the boss. If Ten Hag finds himself in the trenches, it will be players like Maguire who will help him when it matters most.
“Keep the faith,” Maguire posted on Instagram overnight with a photo of his headed goal. Now it’s time for his manager to do the same by supporting him.