Harry Maguire enjoyed his first win as a Manchester United starter this season on Sunday against West Ham.
The England international was rushed back into the starting line-up with Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof both unavailable.
West Ham pushed hard against Manchester United in the second half, with the home side having to really dig in to get all three points.
It was a tough game for Maguire to make his full return in, and he will be better and more confident for it.
Manager Erik ten Hag was quizzed about Maguire after the 1-0 win and spoke highly of the centre-back.
Ten Hag verdict on Harry Maguire performance
Ten Hag was quoted by the club’s official website and said he was pleased with Maguire’s contribution.
He said: “It was a good performance. It is not easy when you are a couple of weeks out and he only played 45 minutes on Thursday, but Premier League is a different level. Then to come in and to get under such pressure, especially at the end of the game, when it’s tough.
“And we didn’t have the opportunity to substitute because we didn’t have any more centre-halves on the bench. Then we survive. He was magnificent in protecting the box.
“He’s a great player, a really good defender and we have seen that and how important he is for the squad. I think he showed good attitude, I think he showed good resilience, I think he showed a bit of confidence and that’s good to see.”
Maguire has been heavily criticised in the media in recent months. His winless streak as a Manchester United starter goes right back to April. Now he has got rid of that unwanted statistic.
He was probably as low as fourth in the pecking order in recent weeks, now he has given himself a fighting chance of playing a more valuable role in the upcoming fixtures.
It is important to Maguire get fit again ahead of the World Cup and this game will have sealed the deal to get him on the plane to Qatar.
He was pleased for his England teammate Marcus Rashford, who scored the winner and his 100th Manchester United goal.
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