Erik ten Hag praised Harry Maguire after he helped Manchester United beat West Ham United 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday.
Marcus Rashford broke the deadlock seven minutes before the break, powering home a superb header that decided the fate of the game in favour of the home side.
The Hammers created some brilliant opportunities, but David de Gea’s heroics prevented them from scoring.
The Spaniard made world-class saves to deny Michail Antonio and Kurt Zouma before also frustrating Declan Rice.
Ten Hag was delighted with the performance and also praised Maguire after the game.
He said (as per BBC Sport): “He was magnificent in protecting the box. He is a great player and a really good defender and we have seen how important he is for the squad.
“I am really happy for the team of course but also Harry Maguire as he came off the pitch with a clean sheet.”
An encouraging performance
Maguire has recently returned after remaining on the sidelines for a lengthy spell due to injury.
After featuring off the bench against Sheriff Tiraspol in midweek, Ten Hag gave him a start today against West Ham at Old Trafford.
It wasn’t a vintage performance from the 29-year-old, but he didn’t make any big mistakes.
The defender performed a decent job in the home encounter. He was poor in the first half as he failed to find his teammates with long passes and struggled to deal with the Hammers’ counter-attacking threat.
However, the England international improved his game after the break and made some vital contributions for United.
Maguire completed 83 percent of his passes, made eight clearances and a tackle. He also won two aerial duels and had 67 touches in the game (as per WhoScored).
The captain’s performance was encouraging, and he is expected to improve in the next matches when he gains more confidence.
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