At the time the deal was done, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sought to reject any comparisons with Liverpool’s 2018 purchase of Virgil van Dijk, the Dutchman who immediately took his team to new levels. But the transfer fee made that impossible.
For £75m, Liverpool got a world class centre-back who has been the backbone to Champions League glory and a potentially record-breaking Premier League title pursuit. But, for £80m, United have a centre-back who looks no better than just another ‘only okay’ defender.
Solskjaer didn’t like the comparison being made. But make no mistake about it, United wanted Maguire to be their own Van Dijk. It hasn’t happened and it probably isn’t going to.
There is nothing particularly wrong or bad about Maguire. He just isn’t world class, nor does he seem capable of leading and improving those around him in the way the very best defenders do.
It is rare for a team to have two world class centre-backs – United were blessed 10 years ago – but just one will still make an extraordinary difference to those around them.
At another time, Maguire might have been a perfect addition if United already had a world class defensive leader in the mould of Van Dijk, or Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic. But the club already have plenty of what could best be termed ‘secondary’ centre-backs in the shape of Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and even Chris Smalling.
These are players who are clearly very capable in the right circumstances, but have shown that they do not have the consistency or leadership skills to command a defensive unit at the highest level. Maguire should have been, but 26 games into his Old Trafford career, he’s no different.
It harks back to the days when Smalling, who may yet return to United after his successful loan at Roma, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans looked so promising as emerging talents that eventually replacing the aforementioned Ferdinand or Vidic would be a smooth transition.
Whenever any of that trio got a chance alongside one of the veteran masters, they usually looked very impressive. The problem was that as soon as neither one of Ferdinand or Vidic was involved, Smalling, Jones and Evans looked completely lost without a world class partner. Left to their own devices, they quickly proved to be largely mediocre.
This is how United have been at the back this season. Three clean sheets in 21 Premier League games is a fairly atrocious record that is exactly the same at this stage last season. No team that has spent that heavily on a marquee defensive ‘leader’ should still be no better off for it.
That isn’t to say that Maguire should have immediately transformed United into title contenders or is responsible for problems elsewhere in the squad, but at least some defensive improvement was vital to prove that his arrival wasn’t another pointless endeavour.
Against Arsenal on New Year’s Day, Maguire was poor. A lack of positional awareness saw him play Sead Kolasinac onside for the opening goal because he was a step behind the rest of his back four, despite looking across the line. Later, he was easily spun by Alexandre Lacazette, who should have made it two. At the very end, he should at least have halved the deficit for a consolation goal with a close-ranger header, but his effort was weak and easily saved.
More generally, week after week, Maguire gives the ball away too frequently and is not commanding enough for a player whose reputation is largely built on his physical stature.
There is no hiding place when you are the most expensive defender in history. Maguire is finding that out and United are paying the price.
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Source : 90min