How Harry Maguire went from ‘gangly’ teenager to Man Utd’s expensive saviour – EXCLUSIVE

It is an ascent so sudden and unforeseen that not many know how to react, for the unassuming Yorkshire lad, whose Leicester City team-mates called him ‘Slabhead’, has an appearance and humility that belies his defensive aptitude and unbridled attacking endeavour which will now be showcased in Manchester United crimson.

But was it clear he was destined for this grand stage when he was just a shy teenager part of the Sheffield United side which made the 2011 FA Youth Cup final? “No, not at that time,” former Blades boss Micky Adams tells Express Sport.

“The one thing people would have been worried about was… he was a big, gangly lad and maybe a lack of pace would catch him out.

“As a first team we were struggling at that time. There’s always clamour at a club, when the youth team’s doing well and the first team’s not doing well, for homegrown talent to be pushed forward into the team.

“He was a defender – I don’t remember him as anything else. He was a ball-playing centre-half, playing on the right side, he could do a big switch of play with his right foot. The one thing you didn’t worry about with Harry was his ability on the ball.”

Under the mentorship of Adams and legendary Bramall Lane centre-back Chris Morgan, Maguire became a touted name on the scouting scene. In 2014, he had done enough to convince Hull City head of recruitment Stan Ternent that he was worth spilling £2.5m on.

“We were in the process of looking for young talent – we’d put a good side together and wanted some youth. We got Andy Robertson, who is now Liverpool left-back, and Harry was 21 but had played in excess of 200 games, which is a lot at that age. I’d gone watching and I said to Steve Bruce: ‘I think we should take him’,” he said.

“I knew with Steve Bruce, Steve Agnew, Steve Clemence and Keith Bertschin – the coaching team there – that if they got hold of him, they would improve him, big style. And that’s what happened. I said to Steve: ‘I think we’ve got another Steve Bruce here.’ He just laughed.”

No one was laughing at Ternent when, two years later, Maguire was the subject of a £17m offer from Leicester. His move to the King Power was the last stepping stone to stardom, with a solid top-flight campaign securing him a starting spot under Gareth Southgate at the 2018 World Cup.

His England career is one aspect which separates him from the uncapped Bruce but, otherwise, Ternent still notes the similarities.

“Steve started at Gillingham, went to Norwich and from Norwich to Man United – this happens a lot with players. For instance, Virgil van Dijk. He went from Celtic to Southampton, and at the time was a very good player. Then you think he can play in the top six, and this is what’s happening to Harry Maguire.”

Commanding centre-backs like Van Dijk are now setting the defensive benchmark in England, with the Dutchman favourite to win the 2019 Ballon d’Or after being voted Player of the Year by his peers last season.

It is hard to pick a fault in the Liverpool star’s game, and the same can be said of Maguire, according to those who have seen his rise first-hand. Former Leicester centre-half Steve Walsh is now a Foxes ambassador and believes Maguire can replicate and even perhaps exceed Van Dijk – as he did his transfer fee.

“Van Dijk has excelled this year unbelievably,” says Walsh. “He had an outstanding season and nearly won the title for Liverpool. But I think Harry is doing it now. He knows where he wants to go and he knows his direction.

“As a centre-back, your duties are just to defend, but nowadays you’ve got to be confident on the ball and that’s certainly what Harry is. He can play out from the back, he can dribble out from the back, he sets up counter attacks very quickly. These players are far and few beyond; he can head it, he can score a goal, he’s dangerous on set-pieces and he’s just developing.”

That gangly 17-year-old who made waves in South Yorkshire has surprised his first manager, too. Although the same height as Van Dijk at 6ft 4in, Maguire does pack some more weight but is able to compensate for it, says Adams. “His biggest improvement is the fact that if he’s up against pace he knows how to use his body,” believes the 57-year-old, who is now a football consultant.

“He knows when to drop off and when to get tight to players. And he still has that great ability of coming out of defence with the ball at his feet and playing.”

Ternent adds: “When you’re playing against the best players, the best strikers – they are lively, they are quick. But Harry is very bright – football-wise, extremely bright. He reads the game well, he knows when and when not to pass the ball and the more he plays, the more experience.

“Harry will handle the pressure at United, no problem. He’s got the temperament, he’s got the mental capacity to do that. He’s a mentally tough kid.”

Adams concurs: “He’s handled the big stage on the England scene and done very, very well. In today’s market, I would say £80-100m is probably a bargain. Water off a duck’s back for him.”

Now it’s time for Maguire to show he can survive in the deep end.