Former Manchester United boss David Moyes has revealed which player gave him the greatest pre-match worries when returning to Old Trafford in later seasons with West Ham United.
The ex-United manager sat down with the likes of Gary Neville and Roy Keane on Sky Sports’ Stick to Football podcast, discussing a range of issues including the Scot’s time in Manchester, his thoughts on incoming head coach Ruben Amorim, and his recent departure from the Hammers.
But when conversation moved on to how he prepared to face his old employers, it was a surprise opponent who came to Moyes’ mind.
David Moyes reveals dread at having to face Manchester United’s Harry Maguire
The creative spark of captain and midfield maestro Bruno Fernandes was the former West Ham manager’s first thought, but right behind him in a close second was the threat posed by Harry Maguire in both attack and defence.
Maguire is known for his no-nonsense battling on the field, aerial domination and always posing a threat from set-pieces.
“Really difficult to deal with Harry Maguire at set pieces,” Moyes assessed on Stick to Football. “He was a monster, [in] both boxes.
“We were saying, ‘How are we going to stop Harry Maguire getting on the end of things? And how are we going to keep the ball away from him?’”
It may be expected that the Red Devils’ pace out wide, the addition of a more traditional no.9 in Rasmus Hojlund, or full-backs adept at attacking were bigger fears, but Maguire was one of the key threats Moyes had on his mind ahead of those clashes.
The defender started just 18 of United’s 38 Premier League games last season but still managed five goal contributions across the campaign.
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In FourFourTwo’s opinion, while Maguire isn’t the first player that you’d expect to keep a manager up at night, it probably is underrated just how fearsome he is lurking around the penalty area from dead-ball scenarios.
An upbringing in the Championship and League One when he was younger, with the likes of Sheffield United and Hull City, combined with his raw strength, have given Maguire a gritty edge that some modern-day academy-educated younger players can struggle to live with.
Although there are shortcomings in other parts of his game across a full 90-minute match, you can never discount his threat from set-pieces, as proven this season in United’s game against Porto, where he was thrown in with just over 10 minutes to go and duly produced the equaliser.
