Erik ten Hag has hailed Harry Maguire as a "leader" and insists he plays an important role for the club on and off the pitch, despite adding another mistake to his rap sheet during Manchester United's defeat in Seville on Thursday.
The United captain is suspended for this weekend's FA Cup semi-final against Brighton after collecting his second booking in the competition during the quarter-final success against Fulham.
Maguire was involved in a mistake for the opening goal in Sevilla's Europa League quarter-final second-leg success on Thursday night, conceding possession after David de Gea had sent a risky pass into the central defender.
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He has since been criticised for his role in that goal and a failure to understand he was under pressure from three sides as Sevilla's front line pressed aggressively. Maguire has been in the spotlight this season due to a string of mistakes and he started last weekend's victory against Nottingham Forest nervously before recovering his poise.
He remains club captain despite starting just 15 times this season and although his latest error proved costly, Ten Hag has praised the 30-year-old's leadership in the group.
"He has an important role, he is the captain, he leads, he communicates with the manager, motivates the team, he’s the example in the training space," he said.
Maguire is one of more than a dozen players that United could look to sell this summer, with Ten Hag keen to refresh his squad and raise funds for a summer spending spree.
If United beat Brighton on Sunday they will have nine games left, including an FA Cup final, and the Dutchman insists his focus is on those fixtures rather than his plans for the summer transfer window.
"In this moment I don’t think about the summer, I’m thinking about improving this team and these players, that’s my job with the coaching staff and the players," he said.
"We have all our focus on this process and not on other processes, that will distract you. I know this group of players can do better, they’ve proved it so many times this season, we’ve made huge progress during the season but we have steps to go. We have a lot of games to play and occasions to prove it."
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