Harry Maguire sent a reminder to the world that until he is told otherwise he remains Manchester United captain and will do all he can to help his team succeed.
The England international was handed his first Premier League start since the start of January as Ten Hag rotated his options amid a hectic fixture schedule. And Maguire helped the Red Devils to a clean sheet as they beat Leeds United 2-0 at Elland Road.
Maguire partnered Luke Shaw at the heart of the visitors’ defence and aside from an early error, he kept Leeds at bay and showed he could still have a future at Old Trafford. The 29-year-old has fallen down the pecking order in recent months, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez now the established starters.
But after the victory, Maguire reminded everyone associated that - for now at least - he remains the United skipper and will keep doing his all for the team: “Winning the game is most important, it’s not about myself,” he told Sky Sports.
“I’m the captain of the team, I put the team miles before myself and playing or not I want the team to do well and be successful so it’s been a good season up until now.
“Still a lot of improvement and the big games are coming, but it’s nice to come in, get a clean sheet and get a victory. It’s a good one for the fans.”
David de Gea brought up a landmark of his own behind Maguire, becoming the first non-British player to start 400 Premier League matches for the same team. His clean sheet also saw him draw level with Peter Schmeichel’s club record. But rather than draw attention to his own achievements, he paid tribute to the returning Maguire.
He said: “I think you saw it at the end of the game, the fans, the players, I think we deserved to win at home but today we did a great game.
“We knew what we needed to do to win the game so we did it, fight until the end, players like Harry who have not played many games, today they played fantastic so the team is strong. We are really, really happy.”
On finally returning to the United starting line-up, Maguire added: “Well like I said, it’s not about me, it’s about the team, it’s about the club being successful.
“Obviously I want to be a part of it, I’m still playing my part coming on in games, I’ve started four since the World Cup so I’m still getting my minutes, but of course every footballer wants to start games. It’s disappointing when you don’t but all you can do is train well and be ready when the chance comes.
He continued: “There’s lots of players in the squad not playing at the moment as well, and I feel we have four really good, physical, international centre backs at this club, and there’s always going to be two unhappy. That’s the way it is, so I’ve got to keep working, keep fighting and make sure I’m ready when called upon.”
