{"id":1099801,"date":"2019-08-06T14:08:36","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T13:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1099801"},"modified":"2019-08-06T15:25:55","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T14:25:55","slug":"harry-maguire-man-utd-centre-backs-compare","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/harry-maguire-man-utd-centre-backs-compare\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry Maguire has instantly become Man Utd’s best CB – but how do the others compare?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manchester United have finally got their man.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After going back and forth this summer, and with only a few days before the 2019\/20 season gets underway, the Red Devils matched Leicester City’s \u00a380m valuation for centre-back Harry Maguire subsequently making him the most expensive defender in history.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7330203-it-s-easy-to-get-backwards-but-liverpool-s-dependence-on-their-front-three-isn-t-a-weakness<\/p>\n

It is no secret that United desperately needed defensive reinforcements after shipping in 54 goals last season, more than in any other Premier League season. Following Aaron Wan-Bissaka \u2013 signed from Crystal Palace for \u00a350m \u2013 Maguire is the second new face brought in to strengthen their rearguard.<\/p>\n

But just how much of a difference will Maguire make? We compared him to United’s defenders last season to see how the 20-time capped England international matches up with his new team-mates.<\/p>\n

Defence<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Despite the huge fee United have been forced to shell out for Maguire, it is not necessarily his defending which makes him so sought after.<\/p>\n

To an extent, his stats reflect this. Per 90 minutes, he lies in the middle for blocks and at the bottom for tackles made when compared to his future team-mates. Surprisingly, he is actually the only one of the group to make an error leading to a goal last season as well. It must be considered, however, that Jones and Bailly played significantly less than the other three last season, meaning their statistics aren’t necessarily a fair reflection of their ability.<\/p>\n

Maguire heads interceptions, which is something United should be excited about. He is known for his eagerness to get on the front foot, take the game to the opposition and his willingness to come out of defence with or without the ball.<\/p>\n

Distribution<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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As everybody knows, defenders are not just needed to defend nowadays. Maguire is the epitome of this: his USP is his remarkable ability on the ball, something which should give United the advantage over their rivals.<\/p>\n

Stats certainly don’t tell the entire story here. Maguire may have the lowest passing accuracy out of all the centre-backs on show, but there is a simple explanation for this: he is far more progressive with his passing. He made more passes ending in the final third per 90 minutes than all four of the other centre-backs combined. If there was ever a stat which summed up a player, it is that.<\/p>\n

He dwarfs United’s current options in terms of passes in the opposition half too, making 12 more per 90 minutes than Lindelof and 16 more than Smalling. Despite Bailly boasting more dribbles completed per 90 minutes, no centre-back completed more take-ons than Maguire in the league last season (97). Granted, this isn’t necessarily what he’s there for, but it’s impressive nonetheless.<\/p>\n