Jonny Evans and Jonathan Woodgate: Maguire reveals why duo have “really impressed” him | OneFootball

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has explained how Michael Carrick’s assistants, Jonny Evans and Jonathan Woodgate, are already making an impact at the club.

United on cloud nine

United are in the midst of an excellent run of form under Carrick, who was named interim head coach last month following Ruben Amorim’s dismissal.

Carrick has won all three games he has taken charge of, including beating Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two matches. United’s most recent result, a dramatic late 3-2 victory over Fulham, saw the club retain fourth position in the Premier League table.

Confidence is high within the camp and while Carrick has received most of the credit, Woodgate and Steve Holland have also been praised for their contributions to the Red Devils’ drastic transformation.

Woodgate, Holland, and Evans are key members of Carrick’s backroom staff. Woodgate worked with Carrick at Middlesbrough and Holland brings experience from the England set-up. Evans himself was Carrick’s teammate at United.

Maguire sat down with club media and expressed how delightful it has been to work with two former defenders in Woodgate and Evans.

Maguire praises coaching duo

Maguire said about Woodgate, “He was a fantastic player. Coaching [here], he’s come in and been refreshing. He brings great energy to the group, to the sessions.”

“Obviously he’s been a centre-back himself and he’s giving me tips, and he’s going to definitely work a lot with the younger centre-backs, with Leny [Yoro], Ayden [Heaven] and Tyler [Fredricson]. But, of course, even senior players like myself and Licha [Lisandro Martinez], we can learn from him. He’s brought great ideas and I’ve been really impressed.”

On Evans, Maguire remarked, “Jonny is great to have around. The way that he handles himself and the responsibility that he took on his shoulders when he was a player, he can take that on to coaching as well.”

“Just little things like in the session the other day, I was finished and was walking in and could see that Jonny was doing extra work with Leny and Ayden.”

“Things like that, as a young boy coming through and playing on the biggest stage, sometimes you have to learn and adapt on the pitch and on the stage, but you also can’t forget that you need to improve and you need to work. These are young, talented centre-backs and to have Jonathan Woodgate and Jonny Evans coaching them now and giving them little tips, it’s fantastic for them.”

Maguire and United are next in action on Saturday when they host Tottenham Hotspur in the early kick-off.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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