Harry Maguire is on course to equal a club record which has stood since 1995 when Manchester United face Liverpool on Sunday.
After yesterday’s 0-0 draw with Leeds, Maguire has now played every single minute of United’s last 71 Premier League matches.
That has drawn him level with the club record set by Gary Pallister in May 1995.
He needs to play the full game against Liverpool to beat it.
For some, this might be an obscure stat and the last thing on their minds after failing to beat a bitter rival.
But it shows Maguire’s durability and underlines the importance of United learning their lessons in the transfer market.
United have spent millions on three central defenders – Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly – who have not been able to consistently stay fit throughout their time at Old Trafford.
That led to chopping and changing in the backline even going back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign.
Maguire cost a lot. He’s the most expensive player Solskjaer has signed. He also looks to be worth it.
It’s no way to build a defence.
It’s impossible to perfect partnerships and get the required understanding of each other’s games if the identity of the central defenders is changing every other week due to injury.
Maguire’s combination with Victor Lindelof isn’t perfect – it still lacks pace for one thing – but they have played together consistently since the England international’s arrival.
That helps to get a foundation to build upon and has helped Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw to improve this season.
The worst it ever got for United at the back was during the opening part of Louis van Gaal’s time in charge, when Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair were drafted in due to injuries to Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans.
That undermined the Dutchman’s attempts to make a flying start at United, but as Solskjaer looks ahead to next season, he knows he has durable central defenders he can rely on.
That means a contract can be given to Bailly in the knowledge that Maguire is available almost every week, so his fitness struggles aren’t as debilitating.
Yesterday’s game also underlined the disciplinary tightrope Maguire has had to walk to ensure he’s available in the league.
He picked up his tenth league booking of the season at Elland Road.
Had it come a week earlier, that would have meant a suspension, but it arrived the week after the amnesty on bookings had passed.
Perhaps Solskjaer might want that tally of cautions reduced next season but he will hope to continue to rely on Maguire, United’s most durable central defensive recruit since Nemanja Vidic in January 2006.
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