As Harry Maguire sat on the bench on Wednesday night – shivering in the mundane Manchester weather – it seemed as if the script for his season had already been printed.
Dropped behind Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and even Luke Shaw in the pecking order, it felt as if the Manchester United skipper was counting down the days until a summer transfer. Yet Erik ten Hag has other ideas.
Maguire, wearing the armband he’s so dearly missed, was given the nod for United’s clash against Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday. Yet he was deployed at right-centre-back instead of his usual role on the left. It’s a plan Ten Hag has been plotting for weeks.
