Harry Maguire is quickly making his presence felt at Manchester United despite being at the club for less than a fortnight.
The £80million defender has emerged as a leader in the dressing room following his summer move from Leicester, according to club sources.
Maguire was excellent on his debut for the club, as they recorded a comprehensive 4-0 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford in their first game of the Premier League season.
And his calming presence at the back is already rubbing off.
“He’s the leader United have missed for some time,” a United source told The Sun.
“The players were immediately excited by the prospect of him arriving.
“He’s given the back-four renewed confidence, not just by his ability but his words.
“The team feel stronger defending set-pieces now.”
After Maguire’s commanding showing, midfielder Paul Pogba revealed the nickname he had given to his new team-mate.
“I call him ‘the Beast’,” the midfielder told reporters after the game.
“Honestly, as you saw, he was really impressive. He is a leader. He fits right in with us in training.
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“We talked about controlling the defence well and he has a good understanding with Victor [Lindelof]. It was a very good match to start with from the whole team.”
Maguire was not the only new signing in defence, as Aaron Wan-Bissaka also lined up at right-back and was another standout performer following his switch from Crystal Palace.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was keen to strengthen his back line and while the season has just begun, he has stressed the need for a settled defence.
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“Any successful team will have to build from the back and have a foundation to play from,” the United boss told the club’s official website.
“We always say ‘you have to earn the right to win a game of football’. You earn it by defending well, you have a foundation and hopefully a settled team.
“Hopefully, we won’t have to make too many changes. Over the last few years, I’ve always had the feeling there’s been so many players with bad luck concerning injuries. Both Jose [Mourinho] and Louis [van Gaal], maybe even David [Moyes], had to chop and change the back four, especially the centre-backs. Hopefully we can get a settled line-up.”
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