Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag said that he is currently seeing "a different Harry Maguire" while paying tribute to his captain's performance against Everton on Saturday afternoon.
Raphael Varane was rested against the Toffees at Old Trafford, which allowed Maguire to come in for a rare start in the middle of the defence alongside Lisandro Martinez.
The 30-year-old helped the Red Devils keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory, and Ten Hag was full of praise for the England international after the match.
The Man United head coach said that he is currently seeing 'a different Maguire', with the defender in his best form of the campaign for the club.
"It is not that easy for Harry [to be rotated with the other centre-backs]," Ten Hag told reporters after the clash with Sean Dyche's side. "And then if you then deliver the performance he did today (Saturday), really well done, in and out of possession, dominating and dictating.
© Reuters
"That is my demand on him and he transferred it to the pitch. I think this is a different Harry Maguire [to] what I have seen in the first weeks, months. He's taken so much initiative, dominating his opponent, stepping in, bringing passes. So a really great performance from Harry."
The start was just Maguire's sixth in the Premier League this season, with Varane and Martinez both ahead of him in the pecking order.
There is currently a host of speculation surrounding the centre-back's future, with a number of clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain and Leicester City, believed to be keen to sign him this summer.
Maguire also spoke after the clash with Everton on Saturday and again reiterated the importance of Man United's squad, with the Red Devils still active in three competitions.
© Reuters
"We are never going to be successful as 11 players," he told MUTV. "This is the Premier League, we are playing in all competitions.
"We want to do as well as we can in every competition, win more trophies and also compete at the highest level of the Premier League and, to do that, you need more than 11 players.
"To get Christian [Eriksen] back, to get Anthony [Martial] back. Huge players for us, huge players for the squad who can make a difference off the bench, who can start games and that brings more energy out of the players, knowing that.
"The competition for places is high and we have a good enough squad to cope with the demands we have been put through."
Man United are back in action on Thursday evening, with the Red Devils welcoming Sevilla to Old Trafford for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
Matt Law
