Harry Maguire confirms Man Utd status as Lyon goal completes dramatic revival

Harry Maguire was the man for the moment. Thrown up front by as chased an unlikely comeback against Lyon, he when his team needed it.

The outpouring of emotion as sprinted towards the corner flag to celebrate was the high point of a largely miserable campaign for United. His header from Casemiro’s cross kept United’s season on track towards the only salvation provided by winning the final in Bilbao on May 21.

That it was Maguire who delivered the final blow in a nine-goal thriller felt fitting somehow. All the United players on the pitch wanted to win, but his lead-from-the-front ethos is infectious. “We tried to put because he’s the only guy who can score a goal with his head,” Amorim smiled in an interview with on TNT Sports.

Erik ten Hag was the man to in July 2023. He’s spent time on the bench. He’s come close to leaving for another club. But he was there when it mattered most, having won over his new manager.

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“We dug in and showed great spirit and that is what this stadium does for you,” he said. “It was incredible to come back like that. Their fourth goal was a sucker punch but I still thought we would get chances.

“And after we got our fourth, I thought we would get another chance and, thankfully, it fell to me and I managed to guide it into the corner of the net. It was an amazing feeling. It was an incredible game.”

Stripped of the armband

Maguire spent 140 games as United skipper before Ten Hag axed him in favour of Fernandes. It was a brutal decision – and one which clearly took its toll on the England defender, who had taken the role to heart and took it seriously.

“Since the day I took on the role, three and half years ago, it’s been a huge privilege to lead Manchester United and one of the proudest moments of my career to date,” he said in a statement at the time. “It’s one of the greatest honours in club football. I’ve done everything I possibly could to help United be successful – on and off the field.”

Fernandes was promoted to the role, despite , about his emotional outbursts on the pitch. “I knew had captain qualities when I was manager at Manchester United,” he said on the .

“He’s got the personality and quality – but he knows and I’ve told him – that he’s too passionate at times and he loses a bit of control. I loved Harry Maguire as a captain, he was the leader in that group for me when I was at the club.” He added: “The way that Harry Maguire has handled himself with everything happening to him at Manchester United is top class and just shows the character he’s got, that I want in players.”

is another who has frequently voiced his opinion that Fernandes doesn’t lead by example, having been sent off three times this season. But the Portuguese midfielder is clearly United’s best player and Amorim has opted against rocking the boat by making a change.

Winning over Amorim

Maguire’s start to the season was hindered by injuries and he has been forced to bide his time when making his case to Amorim, who favoured Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro in central defence.

But gradually he has won him over through his performances, leadership qualities and natural ability as the middle centre-back in Amorim’s favoured 3-4-2-1 formation. “He's working really well,” Amorim said in December. “He's focused on the job, not what people say. He has no excuses – even if he's had some tough moments. In that respect, he's an example. He's there to play to help the team and he's trying to do that.”

After he helped United beat 2-1 in December by dealing with , Amorim showered him with praise: “Maguire is perfect when you play with the three defenders. I think in the middle [he] is perfect.”

Status confirmed

Confirmation that Maguire had won over Amorim came in January, when the manager decided to trigger the option in his contract. “I spoke with him [Harry] this morning and I told him he has to improve his game on the pitch. We need him a lot and also he needs to improve as a leader,” he said.

“We all know the situation that he had here but we need him a lot in this moment so we are going to trigger, happily, the option for Harry.”

Asked if he is a key player, he added: “There are moments in the career of a player that are different and I think he coped very well with these struggles. When you look at our team we are starving for leaders on the pitch. He is a leader, he has to improve that part, he has to improve his game so we are happy to continue with Harry.”

After his goal on Thursday night, Amorim will have been even happier to have continued with him.

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