Former Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci has been full of praise for one Manchester United star in particular after a resurgent year.
Despite how poor this season has been for Manchester United, with the club losing 14 games in all competitions with their most recent defeat coming against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, there have been positives.
Erik ten Hag is under huge pressure but there have been a few minor reasons to be optimistic. One of these, and perhaps the biggest positive, is the resurgence of Harry Maguire, who looked to be on his way out of the club in the summer.
The former Leicester City star is currently out injured but has been one of United’s best defenders this season, possibly the best.
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Bonucci on Maguire
One man who knows exactly what it takes to be a top-class centre-back is current Union Berlin and former Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci.
Speaking to The Sun, the Italian defender was full of praise for the Englishman and believes Maguire has attributes that make him ‘out of the norm’ and truly top-class.
“There are moments during the game when you have to go to war and be ready to battle in the box as if a burglar was stealing in your house,” Bonucci said on the toughness needed in football.
“For me, Harry is an example. After all the stick and attacks he’s received, he still plays at Manchester United and is a regular for England. That’s indicative of his mental strength. Maguire is a rocky and tough defender.
“His problem is that he was paid an infinite amount of money when he joined Man United. But just because of that, can’t he occasionally drop a clanger?
“He has shown that he’s mentally tough, has leadership skills, personality and intelligence out of the norm.”
Maguire’s mental toughness
During Ten Hag’s debut season at the club, the Englishman was frozen out of the team in favour of a defensive pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, who were both brilliant.
Maguire this season, however, has come in for the injured Argentine and has looked back to his best. He netted a vital header against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League, which briefly kept hopes of qualification alive.
Despite Maguire currently being out injured, the Englishman will be looking to re-establish himself as first-choice defender once he returns.
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