Harry Maguire has praised fellow defender Victor Lindelof after missing Manchester United's FA Cup semi final against Brighton, with the Swede partnering Luke Shaw at centre-back.
With Lindelof and Maguire having started together in the second leg of United's Europa League quarter final defeat to Sevilla, which United lost 3-0 (5-2 aggregate), the latter did not play in the semi-final win against Brighton due to suspension. Maguire was at fault for the first goal in Seville, losing the ball under pressure after a pass from David De Gea, allowing Youssef El-Nesyri to score.
For the FA Cup semi-final, which United won on penalties after a 0-0 draw against Brighton, Shaw was picked to play alongside Lindelof at centre-back in a back four with Tyrell Malacia at left-back. The combination kept a clean sheet together in what was a cagey affair which went the distance to penalties.
In the shootout, Lindelof kept his cool to slot home the winning penalty after Solly March had missed Brighton's seventh attempt by sending the ball high over the bar. This drew praise from Maguire, who sent a message of support to his long-time teammate in a post to his Instagram story.
With Lindelof having posted an image to his feed with a reference to 'V for victory' after the win, Maguire posted the image to his own story on the social media platform. He sent a message of support to the Swede, with the caption 'Yessss @victorlindelof', showing that the pair have good relations despite competing for the same spot in United's back-line at present.
Maguire could lift the FA Cup this season, with the win against Brighton setting up a Manchester derby in the final against Manchester City. A win at Wembley would provide the England international with a second chance to lift a trophy at the home of English football this season after United's Carabao Cup win back in February.
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However, Maguire may not be given the chance to play in the match, with the emergence of Shaw and Lindelof's partnership having been praised by Ten Hag. The move has been necessitated by injuries to Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, with the former having a slim chance of return before the final, while the latter is certain to miss out after surgery.
However, the absence of his first choice centre-back pairing does not appear to have given manager Erik ten Hag too much cause for concern, with United's manager praising the new partnership after the match. He also lauded Lindelof for his coolness, having been a reliable penalty taker for United in the past.
The Dutchman told BBC Sport: "He [Lindelof] is quite cool when it comes to penalties and he’s quite cool in general," He continued. "I thought Victor and Luke Shaw played brilliantly. They had great co-operation with Casemiro."
The Red Devils play against City on June 3rd in the FA Cup final, with United hoping to complete a domestic double while hoping to also deny their fierce rivals the chance to win a famous treble, which would be a repeat of United's historic 1999 feat.
