Jaap Stam has advised Manchester United's Harry Maguire to be ready to perform when he's inevitably called upon by Erik ten Hag.
Although Maguire endured the most difficult campaign of his career last season, Ten Hag retained him as club captain this summer while he also started the centre-back for United's first two Premier League games of the season against Brighton and Brentford.
United were defeated in both of those matches and Maguire has not started in the league since the Brentford debacle. Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane have started each fixture instead and United have taken maximum points from those games.
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Martinez and Varane conceded just two goals in matches against Liverpool, Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal, and their performances were instrumental in United earning a total of 12 points from those four Premier League matches.
Maguire has lost his position as a first-choice centre-back at Old Trafford and Stam, speaking before the 29-year-old played for England on Monday night, advised that he must be prepared to perform when he gets the chance this season.
“They are [Martinez and Varane] doing well, they’ve got a very good partnership - it’s promising," Stam told the Manchester Evening News. "I've seen them play, I’ve seen Martinez in Holland and Varane in Madrid, so hopefully he can stay fit for the whole season
"With Martinez, he’s had a very good couple of games, although you need to do that across a full season. You need to play steady for 60 games. If you achieve that, then we can judge him, instead of playing for five games. He is a quality player.
"When he [Maguire] gets his minutes, because you’re going to have injuries and suspensions, he needs to use that opportunity to step in and show himself. The other two are doing well and that’s how it goes in football. You need to train hard and stay on your toes.
"If you’re not ready to step in, somebody else will play. That’s how you raise the bar and the level of football."
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