Manchester United fans have been left stunned after finding out that Harry Maguire 's first name is not Harry.
The centre-half, a world-record capture back in 2019, has been one of the most regular names in the headlines following his exploits for club and country. Maguire adopted Harry as his name from a young age, but that is his middle name rather than his forename.
The defender's first name is in fact Jacob, which will certainly take some getting used to. Currently Maguire finds himself on the United bench having previously been a regular. He has been usurped by Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, who have formed a partnership at the heart of the backline.
Fans, nevertheless, have been left a little surprised by the name having had a peer at his wikipedia page. One fan said: "It sounds so weird" whilst another added: "I just laugh every time I hear it."
Maguire is not the only English player whose name we've become accustomed to is not their first name. Current Celtic No.1 Joe Hart, who has 75 caps for the Three Lions and twice won the title with Manchester City, is actually called Charles Joseph John Hart.
The United centre-half should be preparing for his side's trip to Everton on Sunday evening, although he will be watching rather than playing. Maguire was left out of the squad for Thursday's Europa League win with injury and has not started in the league since the 4-0 drubbing at Brentford.
Will Harry Maguire start for England in their World Cup opener? Comment below
Currently, it seems as if the £80m man is set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines with Victor Lindelof also ahead of him in the pecking order, leaving him as the fourth choice under Erik ten Hag. Maguire has endured a poor run of form since the Euros in the summer of 2021, but remainder a regular last term.
Now the defender faces a tough task in proving he is still capable of representing his country after a poor showing in the recent internationals. Gareth Southgate has stuck by Maguire but the player was left exposed by his lack of minutes and produced some error-prone showings for the Three Lions.
It has cast doubt over whether he should start for England in the World Cup with Gary Neville claiming his lacklustre displays could cost him. The pundit said on Sky Sports : "What it does do, it creates a big problem for Harry Maguire and for the manager, because he wants to pick him and he wants him to be in the team. But I don't think it's a position he can go into a World Cup with if Harry Maguire is not playing for Manchester United."
