Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp has shared his first impressions of Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire, who came through the academy system at the Yorkshire club.
Sharp, who at the time was in his first spell with the Blades, was immediately impressed with the stature of the future England international, as well as his ball-playing abilities.
Maguire would spend three years as a senior player with Sheffield United before his career path took him to Hull City and Leicester City, via a loan spell with Wigan Athletic, before his move to Old Trafford.
While Sharp did not line-up with Maguire after the latter graduated from the academy, he did enough to make a significant impression upon the forward.
“My memory is him being as big as he is now to be honest, that he is a man mountain. He’s got unbelievable feet for a big man and I know he had this thing where he loved coming out of defence and striding through into midfield, he was brilliant with it," he told BT Sport.
“He used to stride with the outside of his right foot and made it look easy, the fans encouraged him to do it and he has come on leaps and bounds during the last six years.
"He’s always had the ability, he’s worked hard at it and his leadership skills have come through because he’s now captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
