It has been a triumph of leadership at Old Trafford. That may have been Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s intention when he fast-tracked Harry Maguire to the captaincy, but now Manchester United’s leader is neither the Norwegian nor his chosen skipper. Erik ten Hag used United’s club captain in his ninth successive win but Maguire came on after 89 minutes, just as he had at Wolves.
A fine World Cup may have altered his place in the pecking order at Old Trafford, but in the wrong direction. With Ten Hag picking Luke Shaw as a central defender in the Manchester derby, Maguire now only seems the third-choice left-sided centre-back. At least, as he came on ahead of Victor Lindelof, he may only be second in line on the right. He has begun two league games since the 4-0 shellacking at Brentford and, while his manager may praise him in public, his mind feels made up.
