With outgoings now the priority for Man United in the transfer window, their draw with Athletic Bilbao was not necessarily a negative.
‘Bring on United’ read the banner. It is unlikely many of their supporters will demand Erik ten Hag bring on Harry Maguire this season.
From Australia to the United States to Ireland, boos have followed Maguire across land and sea. He was initially applauded warmly at the Aviva Stadium but then turned attack into defence and Nico Williams pounced to put Athletic Bilbao ahead.
The booing was possibly louder than at the MCG, where United’s communications department suggested it was part of the cricketing sledging culture. Shane Warne would have admired that spin.
There comes a moment in every player’s career when he has to accept he is done. Maguire is done at United. He lost his place last year and he lost the captaincy last month. His presence in the team fills some fɑɴȿ with dread and opponents with hope.
Maguire still has some resilience in red. He ventured into the Athletic area in added time to nod down for the alert Facundo Pellistri to smack in an equaliser to avoid a third defeat in four games.
Yet the recurring boos suggest Maguire has lost the confidence of some supporters. Rebuilding his career at a club where the scrutiny is not as intense and the playing time is more fulfilling is in Maguire’s interest 10 months ahead of the European Championship. He was world-class at the last Euros and could reach such heights again in Germany.
Maguire is so lacking in authority now that Dan Gore, the 18-year-old midfielder, queried the centre-back’s positioning for an intєɴԀed pass. Maguire, so loud during the lockdown fixtures his voice would cause ripples in the River Irwell, is not as voluble in what could still be his final weeks as a United player.
Dubliners were dismayed by the personnel on United’s ρłɑɴe across the Irish Sea. You could hardly Ƅłɑмє Ten Hag. The Aviva Stadium hosted a rugby match between Ireland and Italy on Saturday and Ten Hag was not inclined to hold first-teamers back for the Irish fanbase. Lens, visitors to Old Trafford on Saturday, have qualified for the Champions League whereas Athletic finished eighth in La Liga last term.
Still, there was an £80million defєɴԀer, a £50m right-back, £72.9m winger and a revered playmaker (Christian Eriksen, not Donny van de Beek, for the avoidance of doubt) in the United starting XI. The green stands turned red for a day.
Certain starters face uncertain futures. This may have been Van de Beek’s swansong and it only lasted 45 minutes, his withdrawal for Hannibal Mejbri seemingly unenforced. Mejbri was more urgent, pressing immediately on the goal line and eliciting a cynical tug from Aitor Paredes, rightly red-carded.
By the єɴԀ of the first half, the boos for Maguire had been drowned out by the more sensible supporters who encouragingly cheered on Maguire. Suddenly in the second half, the booing restarted.
Maguire no longer leads United out of the tunnel and he was stood behind Tom Heaton in the queue. Heaton was a worthy choice of captain for the occasion. The 37-year-old has a unique understanding of the club’s ethos from stepping onto the Old Trafford pitch in an Umbro goalkeeper kit at the age of 11 in 1997 thɾօυɢҺ to his time in the club’s academy. Heaton was positioned by the centre circle to halt a Bilbao breakaway with a header; additional proof all United keepers are following Ten Hag’s edict to be more proactive.
There was no Brandon Williams in the squad and still no Fred, either. Ten Hag should be satisfied with the relative progress of the buccaneering left-back Alvaro Fernandez, second-choice behind Luke Shaw while Tyrell Malacia recovers from ιɴjυɾу while Williams is surplus. Ten Hag held an instructive debrief Fernandez once he made way for Jonny Evans, recipient of the loudest cheer of the afternoon.
Evans, out of contract before the єɴԀ of the month, was skinned by Inaki Williams and booked for a brazen trip. Re-signing him permanently would be in keeping with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sentimental strategy.
Ander Herrera was another former favourite treated to a warm ovation four years on from leaving for Paris Saint-Germain. Despite United’s shortage of midfielders, Herrera is unlikely to drive back into Carrington again.
Gore operates identically to Kobbie Mainoo and in the absence of his youth team teammate, dutifully dropped into the United third to collect the ball. It was Gore to whom Maguire fatefully attempted to distribute the ball to.
Pellistri was pencilled in for a loan and United may have rubbed out those ρłɑɴs. He was their most threatening attacker and, with Amad stricken with a knee ιɴjυɾу having twisted his ankle against Arsenal last month, Pellistri is the specialist alternative to Antony on the right-hand side.
Jadon Sancho resumed his pre-season role as a stop-gap striker but struck weakly in a one-on-one with Unai Simon in the third minute. United’s propensity for wasting goalscoring opportunities was an onrunning theme last season and it has continued in pre-season, with the £72m striker Rasmus Hojlund unavailable until later this month.
Maguire remains available to any interested clubs.
