It has been a season of resurgence for Harry Maguire, but with his age advancing and his contract expiring, Man Utd can rest easy knowing his replacement is going to be much better.
All the focus in recent weeks has been on Harry Maguire in the aftermath of his winner against Liverpool in the 2-1 win for Man Utd.
With Maguire’s contract expiring next summer and no talks taking place at the time of writing, this season could be his brilliant swansong.
Even if it isn’t, United are in a great position because the game against Brighton showed again that the club’s Maguire replacement is even better.
Harry Maguire’s absence wasn’t felt vs Brighton due to Leny Yoro
Man Utd fans were left with the bad news by Ruben Amorim in the lead-up to the Brighton game when Harry Maguire was revealed to have picked up a knock.
It’s clear that Maguire is in Amorim’s first-choice XI right now, and the chance to build on that Anfield victory was a salivating one.
That wasn’t possible, however, and it meant Amorim recalled Leny Yoro to the first XI.
Yoro was stationed on the right of the back-three, allowing Matthijs de Ligt to move to his favoured central spot.
Brighton posed a very different threat to what Maguire flourishes against, with United happy to throw players forward at Old Trafford.
It left the defenders to defend many one-on-ones, and Yoro’s pace and power were perfectly suited.
He did the Maguire special to perfection, which was to head the balls away for fun whenever it was crossed, or bring the ball out of defence when given space.
However, he proved to be an upgrade on Maguire, adding his poise and pace to Maguire’s skill set to bring a complete version of himself.
Maguire’s experience has made him the choice for the present, but Yoro is as secure a choice as comes for the future.
Yoro will help Man Utd in Maguire negotiations
Yoro is not only helping United deal with Maguire’s absence during the season, but he’s also the trump card who will help the club when they negotiate with Maguire.
As good as Maguire has been, and he deserves immense credit, United couldn’t afford to come to the table for his extension from a position of weakness.
They need to view Maguire as an additional asset for the squad instead of an indispensable member of it.
Yoro coming into his own in Maguire’s absence, coupled with De Ligt becoming a leader at the club, has combined to make Maguire a luxury instead of a necessity.
United can now tell Maguire that they want him to stay, but on their terms, and Maguire, in turn, can be happy with a reduced role at a club that seems to be on the up.
United won’t be held to ransom during negotiations, because they can just as easily let him go because of the rich quality of options at their disposal.
Yoro proved against Brighton once again that he’s the crown jewel among those options.
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