Ruben Amorim is quickly learning which Manchester United players he wants to keep hold of.
It has been just over one month since Ruben Amorim became Manchester United head coach and he has already made quite the impression.
Amorim matched Sir Alex Ferguson on Sunday afternoon by becoming the only other United manager to win his first Manchester derby – and he gave a fitting nod to “Fergie Time” in his post-match comments.
It was United’s first away win against Big Six opponents in three years, but Amorim has been quick to point out that the Red Devils still need to improve in a lot of areas.
One area where United thrived on Sunday was in defence where Harry Maguire starred in the heart of a back three.
Ruben Amorim hails ‘perfect’ Harry Maguire vs Man City
Maguire has featured in all of Amorim’s Premier League games so far but Sunday was the first time he played the full 90 minutes.
United fans raved about Maguire’s performance with supporters claiming he was the “unsung hero” at the Etihad Stadium.
Amad Diallo deserves the credit but Maguire was “impeccable” during Sunday’s derby where he faced the difficult task of keeping Erling Haaland quiet.
After the full-time whistle, Amorim was full of praise for Maguire and suggested he was a “perfect” fit for his system.
“Maguire is perfect when you play with the three defenders. I think in the middle [he] is perfect,” Amorim told reporters.
“Then the way that the striker that they have with the long balls, you need to be really strong and so it was perfect for him. Not just Harry, all the guys, defend really well.”
“They were really focused and that is the key to play better. I think he did a great job and also his team-mates did a great job.”
Harry Maguire holds ‘positive’ contract talks at Man United
As things stand, Maguire is set to become a free agent in the summer when his contract expires.
Ineos set a £10m asking price for Maguire back in October when he had dropped down the pecking order, but a revival of his career under Amorim now seems to be on the cards.
Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation requires lots of depth at centre-back which has provided plenty of game time for Maguire that he was previously missing out on.
When speaking about his role under Amorim, Maguire said: “I’ve played in a three-man defence a few times in my career. I’ve usually played on the left but at the moment I’m playing in midfield. I feel good and solid. As I said, we’ve still got a lot of improvement to make.”
Ahead of the January window, Maguire has opened up on his future and revealed that he is in talks about a new contract.
As reported by The Times, Maguire says he has held “positive” talks about a new deal.
“All the signs are positive at the moment and the chat that I’m having is really positive,” Maguire said.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
