Harry Maguire explains the main reason for his recent Man United success

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Harry Maguire has opened up about his mental state over the past 12 months as the Manchester United defender seems back to his best.

During the summer, Erik ten Hag was seemingly keen on moving on Harry Maguire with West Ham United keen on signing the former Leicester City defender.

However, Maguire stayed at Manchester United and wanted to fight for his place and that decision, which received backlash from the fanbase, may well be a wise one.

The redemption was seemingly complete on Tuesday night as it was his bullet header into the corner that won United the game and kept their faint hopes of qualification alive.

Maguire on tough year

Speaking to Fred Caldeira of TNT Sports, who also spoke to Christian Eriksen following the win over FC Copenhagen, Maguire was aked whether the tough times made this moment special for him.

“Yeah, of course. I think you play football for moments like tonight, scoring the winner in a Champions League game at Old Trafford in front of these fans, and how they’ve supported me over recent weeks and the support that I’ve had throughout my career,” Maguire said.

“Listen, obviously there’s been a bit of negativity over the last year or so, but I’ve had amazing support throughout that as well.

“No, I’m really strong mentally. I’ve been through a lot in my career. I’ve been the captain of this club for three and a half years. Obviously, I’m not captain now, but I still have a big part to play in the dressing room and I want to make this club successful.”

Maguire’s self belief

It cannot be debated that the English defender has gone through a lot during his four years at Old Trafford.

The English defender was named captain of United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before he was stripped of that honour this summer by Ten Hag.

However, the defender seemingly has the mental toughness needed to succeed at Old Trafford and has dealt with the pressure and criticism very well.

The Englishman is surely set to start alongside Raphael Varane and don’t be surprised if the Englishman has a superb game against Erling Haaland.