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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Harry Maguire will be available for the pre-season clash against Melbourne Victory on Friday, July 15. He has estimated that the England defender can play at least 45 minutes in that game.
Ten Hag got off to an impressive start as Manchester United manager, winning his first-ever match as United's manager - a pre-season game against Liverpool in Thailand on Tuesday, July 12. Fielding a mix of experienced and young players, the Dutchman bagged a brilliant 4-0 win over Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.
Jadon Sancho, Fred, Anthony Martial, and Facundo Pellistri bagged a goal each to ensure a winning start to life under Ten Hag.
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Maguire missed the match due to a minor knock. He trained away from the main group and was ultimately rested for United’s pre-season opener. With Maguire out, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof started the game as centre-backs before being replaced by Eric Bailly and Alex Telles during the half-time interval.
All four were impressive on the night, but Ten Hag confirmed that the now-fit Maguire would get minutes in Manchester United’s second pre-season encounter this Friday.
He said (via Manchester Evening News):
“He [Harry Maguire] is available. We will see [if he will play 45 minutes], but I think he can play half a game.”
Ten Hag claimed that there are no current injuries in the squad and fans should look forward to a good game.
The former Ajax boss added:
“Our squad is full. We are at full capacity and we have a strong squad, so the fans will be happy.”
Harry Maguire will continue to serve as Manchester United captain
Maguire was one of United’s most underperforming players as they endured an embarrassing, trophyless campaign last term. The centre-back was all over the place, committing silly errors more often than not as the Red Devils missed out on a top-four finish.
United finished with the most-ever goals conceded (57) and their lowest-ever points tally (58) in a Premier League campaign. On the back of his disappointing displays, many fans called for the club to strip him of his captaincy.
New manager Ten Hag, however, has kept his faith in the current skipper, confirming that he will not be taking the armband away from him. The Dutch manager hailed him as an “established captain,” adding that he had “achieved a lot of success” (via ESPN).
Maguire was appointed skipper by former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in January 2020, following the departure of Ashley Young.
