Harry Maguire has earned high praise from his Manchester United manager and teammates after playing a key role in the 0-3 Europa League semi-final win over Athletic Bilbao.
He teed up Casemiro’s opener, finding himself somewhat out of place on the right wing but beating his man with some tricky footwork before swinging a perfect cross into the box.
Speaking at full time, club captain Bruno Fernandes, who scored a brace on the night, said Maguire is noticeably happier having returned to form following a dismal period where it seemed he could do little right and was widely mocked by supporters.
Fernandes joked: “I don't think he thought he had that in the locker! Nobody was expecting that.
“Harry is a much more confident man now. Things are coming through, and when he is playing, getting the games, getting goals, defending well, his position is becoming strong.
“He is a very good leader. We hope he keeps improving, because at this club you have to keep improving.”
Ruben Amorim followed Fernandes in heaping praise on Maguire.
“He is a good winger,” he laughed, going on to add that he hopes Maguire is enjoying his return to form.
He continued: “Sometimes there are difficult moments in our life, and Harry had difficult moments where everything he did was wrong.
“Now everything he does is good for the team, so he has to enjoy it.”
Maguire himself enjoyed his rare foray forward, saying he enjoyed the opportunity to be more creative on the ball.
He said: “It was nice to do a bit of dribbling out there, put in a great cross, and we had a lot of bodies in the box so they must have trusted me to get that cross in!
“It was a nice feeling, and Casemiro put it in the back of the net. It was a great header in the end.”
