Man Utd boss Ten Hag maintains out-of-favour Maguire isn’t ‘fifth-choice’ centre-back and can fight for place
Erik ten Hag has called upon Harry Maguire to fight for his place in United’s backline rather than settle for a place on the bench.
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Maguire has found himself on the bench more often than not this season having featured in just eight Premier League games. He has finished a game just four times and has been an unused substitute on seven separate occasions as Ten Hag continues to prefer the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and even Luke Shaw. He last played for United on the January 14, getting a solitary minute in the derby win over Manchester City.
His Old Trafford career isn’t yet over though. A good World Cup with England showed he still has what it takes to compete at the top level and his manager insists he’s still part of his plans.
Speaking before the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Reading, Ten Hag said: “Harry Maguire? He’s not our fifth choice. Harry has to fight for his position and things can change – sometimes also really quickly. I think he is making progress and it’s up to him now.”
