Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire earned plaudits for his impressive performance in the Europa League as his side beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the first leg of the semifinal on Thursday.
Some called him ‘Harrydinho’ while United’s captain called him ‘Harroldinho’ on Instagram.
The 32-year-old showed great composure to contribute to the opening goal of the match, getting a cross past Mikel Jauregizer from the right, which was steered to Casemiro, the goalscorer, by Manuel Ugarte in the 30th minute.
“He is a good winger,” United manager Ruben Amorim laughed, going on to add that he hopes Maguire is enjoying his return to form.
The England defender has been a vital cog in manager Amorim’s plans, playing 34 games this season.
“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,” Amorum added.
Maguire has been most impactful in the Europa League, where he has three goal contributions in six matches – all coming in crucial matches.
He scored the winner in the quarterfinal second leg against Lyon after assisting another in the first half, while rescuing a point for a 10-man United against Porto with a late equaliser.
“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,” Fernandes told TNT Sports.
“He is a very good leader. We hope he keeps improving, because at this club, you have to keep improving.”
United, which is languishing at 14th in the Premier League, is looking to qualify for the UEFA Champions League by winning the Europa League, something it last did under Jose Mourinho in 2017.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com