The key stat proving Manchester United right to spend record fee on Maguire
Harry Maguire's move to Manchester United is not something they will give Liverpool credit for but they have their arch-rivals to thank for landing the 27-year-old over the summer. It was only after seeing the transformative effect made by Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool that United accepted they needed something similar. With that, United eclipsed the fee Liverpool paid for Van Dijk to make Maguire the most expensive defender of all time in a deal worth £80m.
Van Dijk is the top WhoScored rated centre-back (7.40) in the Premier League this season but Maguire is second (7.12). The former Leicester defender has made his presence felt at Old Trafford in a similar way to Van Dijk at Anfield. Emulating boyhood hero Steve Bruce played a big role in Maguire's desire to join United in the summer and in just six months he is already on the right path. Like Bruce before him, Maguire is Manchester United captain.
While it is true there were few alternatives at the time of Ashley Young's departure, it still speaks volumes of Maguire's character to be trusted with the captain's armband so soon after joining a club of United's stature. Such a big decision could easily cause offence among long-term United servants like David de Gea but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer went with his big money signing. In truth it was not out of the blue. Maguire had skippered United on 12 occasions across all competitions prior to official confirmation in January and United have benefited hugely from Maguire's leadership on and off the pitch.
Along with another summer recruit, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Maguire has helped improve United's defence. It had been a laughing stock for several years, too often bailed out by the heroics of De Gea in goal. The fact the Spaniard has won the club's player of the year award more times than any other player in United's history (4) is a telling indication of the club's direction in the post-Ferguson era. Yet, Maguire is leading a new chapter.
Maguire is one of just nine outfielders to have played in every available minute of Premier League action this season. That in itself is a change for United supporters used to the likes of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly spending large chunks of the season out injured. With Maguire commanding things at the back, regularly issuing instructions to those in and out of possession, it has made for a much more cohesive unit. Not just that, but Luke Shaw has even regained his confidence going forward, regularly encouraged to drive forward by Maguire.
Knowing exactly what you are going to get from Maguire allows others to focus on their own game. It felt like Victor Lindelof's first two years where spent playing with a different defensive partner every week but he has started 26 of United's 29 league matches alongside Maguire this season. Remarkably, the pair collectively have not made a single error leading to an opposition shot on goal in that time.
Compared to some of their rivals' most-used centre-back pairings, the likes of Joe Gomez and Van Dijk for Liverpool and Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi of Manchester City have combined for two errors leading to an opposition shot each. Tottenham's Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld, meanwhile, have coughed up six shots to opponents as a result of their combined mistakes.
In fact, of all regular centre-back pairings in the Premier League this season the only other combination yet to concede a shot on goal as a result of an individual mistake is Crystal Palace's duo of Gary Cahill and James Tomkins. Maguire and Lindelof's record is all the more impressive when you consider they have clocked up more than 5,000 minutes of Premier League action and Cahill and Tomkins have managed 3,386.
United's first-choice defensive partnership last season was Lindelof and Smalling and their errors directly led to four opposition attempts on goal. Lindelof attributed to three of those alone and, while there have still been nervy moments, the Swede has generally looked much more accomplished with Maguire next to him. In fact, Lindelof's tackle success rate in the league has notably increased from 80% last season to 95.8% in 2019/20.
United's new-found resilience at the back has been an overlooked success story for Solskjaer, with much of the focus on the likes of Fred, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and recently Bruno Fernandes and Nemanja Matic.
It's with that which makes the timing of David de Gea's woes all the more unfortunate for United. The Red Devils have spent years relying on the De Gea's standout displays between the sticks only now for the 29-year-old to be the one letting the side down. You can track De Gea's woes back to the 2018 World Cup when things got really bad. There have been top class saves and performances for United since then but also bucket loads of uncharacteristic moments.
De Gea was named the club player of the season four times from 2013/14 to 2017/18, in which time he made just three errors leading to an opposition goal in 180 league appearances. He made a further six mistakes that led to a shot but he reedemed himself on those occasions with a save. In that period, when De Gea was the best on the planet, there was a confidence that even when he made a rare mistake he would atone straight away more often that not.
That has not been the case since the the last World Cup. The aura around De Gea is no longer the same. Rather than bailing United out he has been the one placing them in compromising positions. Since August 2018, no player has made more errors directly leading to an opposition goal in the Premier League than De Gea (7 in 67 appearances). He is no longer redeeming himself either, as those seven goals have come from eight shots as a direct result of a De Gea error.
Without those seven goals United would have the second best defensive record in the Premier League. As it stands, Liverpool have conceded the fewest goals in the division this season (21) but that should not detract from what has been a season of huge improvements at the back for United, particularly for their defenders. With a huge price tag comes huge pressure but Maguire is showing he will be worth every penny as the United rebuild gathers pace under Ole.
