Ruben Amorim has stated that Harry Maguire’s physical effort in Manchester United’s FA Cup third-round win at Arsenal on Sunday left him “dead” and cited this as the level of commitment he wants from all of his players.
Maguire was a standout performer in the victory, via a penalty shootout, at the Emirates Stadium, which came on the back of the defender being ill in the days prior. Amorim pointed to the 31-year-old’s attitude as an example to the rest of United’s squad.
“He was sick [before] the last game,” the head coach said. “He was dead in the end – that’s what I want from every player.”
Amorim believes Maguire’s recent upturn in form is down to the player changing “the way he sees himself”, adding: “I believe a lot in Harry. I said this when he signed the new contract [this month]. You can see the way he plays now is different because he believes a lot in himself. We have to praise Harry more than me [for this] – he’s doing a great job.”
Maguire appears well suited to Amorim’s three-man central defence but the Portuguese insists he can also be as effective in a two-man rearguard. “He can do both,” Amorim said. “It’s really good for him, not just without the ball but with the ball. He’s always in the centre. He’s not on the left side or the right side. I think he’s really good with the ball in that position.
“But the most important thing is Harry. He feels more like an important player in the team. And as a leader. I feel that he’s a leader again. So it’s really important for us.”
Maguire is a doubt for the visit on Thursday of Southampton to Old Trafford, while Amorim is definitely without Diogo Dalot, who is suspended following his sending-off against Arsenal. “Harry, we will see,” Amorim said. “Diogo cannot play – his fault.”
The head coach also suggested there may be doubts regarding the fitness of one or more of Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford. “We will see the wingers for tomorrow,” he said.
Garnacho has not started in the Premier League since United’s 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest on 7 December and Amorim was asked what the winger has to do to change this. “He needs to learn to play in a different position,” said the 39-year-old. “He needs to play better inside [as one of the No 10s]. He has improved a lot in the recovery position when he doesn’t have the ball.
“But doing that, sometimes he’s not in the right place to make transitions like he was in the past. I prefer to defend and then build up with all the team to reach the final third. He’s finding the best way to play in this system. He’s improving during training. He started the last game [at Arsenal]. He changed the way he sees himself.”
Meanwhile, Rashford has not played for United since the 2-1 win at Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on 12 December. Following this game, Amorim dropped the forward for “training reasons” and he has subsequently been in only one matchday squad since – for the 2-0 loss to Newcastle on 30 December – and may well depart during the current window having made clear his desire for a “new challenge”.
Amorim was asked if he hopes for a resolution regarding Rashford’s future sooner rather than later. “I just want to win tomorrow [Thursday],” he said. “My focus is to win – I will choose the players I think are best to win.”
