Harry Maguire has been having one of the more memorable seasons of any English Premier League player in 2021/22 with every single move he makes being under the watchful eye of every fan and journalist.
That tends to be the case when you captain the biggest club in the country. But combine that with his uneven performances each week for Manchester United, and you quickly become one of the most talked about transfers in recent years.
The center-back has now been labeled as perhaps United’s worst signing of all time. He’s amongst their most expensive at a price of £80 million, which is the second most lucrative signing after Jack Grealish signed from Aston Villa to Manchester City in 2021.
What makes the signing of Maguire from Leicester City to United back in 2019 so poor isn’t just his performances, but the price and the expectations he was meant to meet. Five months after putting pen to paper at Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer handed him the captain’s armband after Ashley Young’s departure to Inter Milan.
The expectations Maguire was already facing as the supposed new superstar signing was now multiplied with him being the club’s captain. This put the former Leicester man immediately in the category of ex-captains such as Roy Keane, Nemanja Vidic, Wayne Rooney, and Patrice Evra. Which basically put Maguire in a situation where unless he matched the exploits of his predecessors, he would likely be labeled a failure.
Despite the clear improvements on the defensive front under Maguire’s leadership, United are still sitting with more goals conceded than 19th-placed Burnley, who may not even be in the division in two months.
In reality, although things have gotten better statistically, the toxicity seems to be growing around his position with the club each week. The expectations amongst United fans continue to necessitate him winning the Premier League to be a success. All of it seems destined to fail at the moment. The United captain is not just struggling to justify his worth as the club’s captain, but it’s tough to argue his case of being in the starting XI ahead of Victor Lindelof.
Yet to suggest Maguire is United’s worst transfer in history based on performances would be harsh. The likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, and perhaps even Paul Pogba, all struggled to justify their hefty price tags in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Maguire has outperformed the majority of the club’s defenders over the past decade. Moreover, other current United center-backs like Eric Bailly consistently succumb to injury, while players like Phil Jones have been practically stealing a wage from the club for many years.
In 2018/19, United had their worst ever defensive record in Premier League history by conceding 54 goals in 48 games, which was more than 12th-placed Crystal Palace. Fast forward to the next season with Maguire playing every single minute of league action for United, and the club conceded just 36 goals across 38 games. The following campaign in 2020/21, 44 goals would go in during the league campaign where Maguire played 34/38 games as United finished in their highest position since winning the title in 2013 by placing second.
This season, his third at Old Trafford, United have already conceded nearly as many goals as the entirety of the last campaign having played eight fewer games. On the other hand, with no outstanding player this season except for goalkeeper, David De Gea, it’s harsh to throw all the blame on Maguire.
Clearly there have been worse signings from a statistical and tactical standpoint than him, but sadly for the England international, he was brought in for way more than just keeping the ball out of the net despite being a better center-back than the likes of Jones, Bailly, and perhaps Lindelof.
Based on performances and the clear differences pre-Maguire and today, the Englishman has been a solid signing. However, given his record-breaking transfer fee, the expectations to be one of the world’s best, and how he is the club’s most integral player by wearing the armband, Maguire may indeed be the one of the more regrettable signings United have ever made.
-Grant McQuillan
Twitter: @Grant_McQuillan