Harry Maguire, when ruled out of the FA Cup final between Manchester United and local rivals Man City, took to social media to tell the supporters just how ‘gutted’ he was.
It’s testament to how much the narrative has changed around the £80 million centre-half over the last few months that ‘gutted‘ was a feeling shared by many Red Devils supporters.
Of course, Harry Maguire‘s absence didn’t matter so much in the end. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were outstanding at Wembley, while Jonny Evans again played his part off the bench as Manchester United maintained Erik ten Hag‘s trophy-a-season average.
But, with form and fitness hard to come by amongst many of United’s senior players, there is a genuine argument to be had that Maguire has been the club’s finest defender in a difficult 2023/24 campaign.
Mike Phelan, who coached a young Maguire at Hull City and is delighted to see him go from walking meme to defensive monster, feels that there is another much-maligned Manchester United player who could take a leaf out of the 31-year-old’s book.
Harry Maguire a man reborn at Manchester United
“Harry Maguire, a fantastic, fantastic player. He has come through adversity and he’s still showing adversity to come through that. In the big clubs, where things are not going well, you have to have that resilience,” Phelan tells talkSPORT (30 May, 11am) when asked about Marcus Rashford‘s own struggles across the campaign.
“You have to enjoy yourself within the building, in the training ground. But you have to translate that into having fun on the football field. It is the best place to be.”
Rashford, in Ten Hag’s debut campaign, became the first Man United player since Robin van Persie a decade earlier to break the 30-goal barrier. The Carrington graduate managed only eight in the following campaign, however, left out of England’s Euro 2024 squad as a result.
And while context matters – Rashford has been left isolated at times without a natural left-back making those overlapping runs and his relationship with new number nine Rasmus Hojlund is still work in progress – Phelan feels that the best thing the 26-year-old can do is look within himself for a solution.
A big season ahead for Marcus Rashford
“I understand situations players get into because I have been one. It’s chaotic, there is a lot going on, especially in the world we live in now,” adds Phelan, who worked with Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford before returning to assist Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“Translating (your performances) from the training ground to the pitch has been difficult for Marcus.
“He had a great season. (He went from) one of the best forwards in Europe to actually not finding his feet. Its like ‘what’s gone wrong?’.
“A lot of things have probably crept into Marcus’ thinking. He is certainly a talented individual who needs to improve. You never stand still and I think he has stood still and relied on certain strengths he’s got. He needs to find more.”
Perhaps a summer’s rest, and a few months on the training pitch away from the spotlight, is exactly what Rashford needs.
The remarkable revival of Harry Maguire, meanwhile, is proof that even players written off by the vast, vast majority can bounce back with enough resilience and the right mentality.