Manchester United recorded back-to-back wins in the Premier League earlier this weekend as the Reds comfortably dispatched Everton at Old Trafford.
Having defeated Brentford just three days earlier, the win over Everton meant that United regained their grip on the Champions League places ahead of a gruelling end to the season.
Ten Hag made a number of changes for the game, with captain Harry Maguire among the players to return to the side. Maguire has struggled to impress the manager this season, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez forging a seemingly unbreakable bond at the heart of the United defence.
Maguire was, however, one of the standout performers in the 2-0 win and it follows a string of positive performances from the England man.
Speaking after the game, Ten Hag reserved special praise for his skipper, admitting that he has spotted a change in Maguire’s performances recently.
“It is not that easy for Harry [to be rotated with the other centre-backs],” Ten Hag is quoted as saying by the official Manchester United website.
“And then if you then deliver the performance he did today, really well done, in and out of possession, dominating and dictating. That is my demand on him and he transferred it to the pitch.
“I think this is a different Harry Maguire [to] what I have seen in the first weeks, months. He’s taken so much initiative, dominating his opponent, stepping in, bringing passes. So a really great performance from Harry.”
SN’s verdict…
Maguire has endured his most difficult season since he joined the club four years ago and although his performances as of late have been encouraging, he is still highly unlikely to remain at the club past this summer.
If he does, he is almost certainly not going to be a nailed-on starter under Ten Hag as the Dutchman has made his preference clear over the course of this season.
Maguire is, however, still a good option to have in the squad but questions remain over his captaincy status. Is it sustainable to have a captain that rarely plays? That’s something Ten Hag will ponder as he draws up his squad for next season.
