Erik ten Hag has challenged Harry Maguire to reproduce his England form for Manchester United after an impressive World Cup campaign.
Maguire’s place in England’s World Cup squad was in doubt after he made just one Premier League start since August, when he was dropped after a dismal 4-0 defeat to Brentford.
But Gareth Southgate stuck by the 29-year-old and was rewarded with a string of assured performances, with Maguire starting all five of England’s games in Qatar before their quarter-final exit at the hands of France.
Maguire will hope to continue to impress when he returns to Old Trafford and get back in the team, something that Ten Hag believes he is capable of doing.
‘I’ve been asked many times. It’s clear he is good enough to play at the highest level,’ Ten Hag said of Maguire, who completed a £80m move from Leicester City in 2019.
‘He has, for England, good games almost all the time. He had a period in Manchester where he performed badly. Then, of course there are difficulties.
‘But when he is working hard, he gets that confidence. You are seeing that with the way he is playing for England.
‘We want him to bring it on the pitch for Manchester United. I expect from him, the team knows what they expect from him. If he does that, he will be a great player for us.’
Before the mid-season break for the World Cup, five-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane and £57m summer signing Lisandro Martinez established an impressive centre-back partnership at Manchester United.
‘I have two or three good players in the right centre-back position,’ former Ajax manager Ten Hag added.
‘After Brentford, I had to change the mentality. He was unlucky that moment was bad for him but it doesn’t say anything about his quality. Rapha came in and is doing a good job.
‘There are laws of the game in top football. You have to take your chance. The only thing he has to do is train well and perform well. He has games, he has rhythm. His chance will come.’
While Maguire is set to return home following England’s defeat to World Cup holders France, his United team-mates Varane and Martinez will remain in Qatar as they prepare for the semi-finals.
Varane’s France face surprise package Morocco on Wednesday, while Martinez’s Argentina take on 2018 runners-up Croatia tomorrow night.
Manchester United, who are fifth in the Premier League, return to action on December 21 with a League Cup clash against Championship leaders Burnley.
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