Man United defenders are continuously injured, making it difficult for Ten Hag to choose a stable squad in the first months of the season, especially who partners with Maguire.
Key midfielders as well as defenders were unfortunately injured, which contributed to creating a negative feeling for coach Ten Hag as he was not completely sure about his best combinations and the most troublesome one was Find someone to partner with Maguire .
Ten Hag midfield crisis
It is important to know that midfielder Christian Eriksen has suffered a knee injury, and Casemiro is undergoing treatment, although the Brazilian player is expected to recover soon. This summer, midfielder Mason Mount also missed five matches due to injury, while loan signing Sofyan Amrabat was forced to replace him at left-back.
Coach Ten Hag once wanted to abandon Scott McTominay and he almost left Old Trafford in the summer but was fortunate to score some important goals and strong performances.
McTominay’s goals helped him regain his position. Photo: GETTY.
But in the long term, Ten Hag needs to think about how to best complement its midfield in the future. Last season, Man United’s combination of Casemiro , Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes kept them unbeaten for a while. For now, there is no clear trio chosen for the starting lineup.
Casemiro played at a slow pace, while using Eriksen or Mount could expose Man United early. Conversely, a partnership between Casemiro, McTominay or Amrabat could limit their creativity and make it difficult for opponents to defeat.
But there is still a difficult question that not many people see, not whether the England midfielder still has a future at Old Trafford or not, but who partners Maguire in defense.
After a period of decline, Marguire returned to good form at Man United. Photo: GETTY.
The English defender showed remarkable resilience after being dropped by Ten Hag last season, was stripped of the captaincy this summer and was blatantly ridiculed by fans and experts alike. .
Maguire actually always had the desire to stay at Man United to fight for his position and that decision has now been eloquently proven to be correct. He stepped up and performed at a difficult time for the team, causing Mr. Ten Hag a headache with the question: Who should partner with Maguire.
Looking for someone to partner with Maguire
Remembering the 1-0 win against Luton, Maguire’s partner was Lindelof, returning to the days of former coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with an unbelievable partnership with 35-year-old veteran Jonny Evans.
The England midfielder was stripped of the captaincy, but now coach Ten Hag is having a hard time finding someone to partner with Maguire. Photo: GETTY.
Meanwhile, coach Erik ten Hag quickly dismissed rumors of any rift with midfielder Varane, citing “tactics” and “internal competition”, but the French player’s continued Being absent from the starting lineup seems strange. There are certainly doubts about Varane’s long-term future at Man United but Maguire’s good form will certainly help him a lot.
At a time when many defenders were missing due to injury, coach Ten Hag was put in the situation of finding someone to partner with Maguire. But no one is sure whether the England midfielder will be able to keep his position or not when his colleague Lisandro Martinez recovers his fitness, and the Argentine will again play alongside Varane and play well together like last season.
Martinez is a true leader and is favored by Ten Hag, so it is hard to imagine him sitting on the bench when healthy while Lindelof or Evans are the ones partnering Maguire. But until Martinez returns, the Dutch coach’s main concern is still who best partners with Maguire. That is an important decision, if Man United does not score, they must have a strong defense.
