Man United’s Harry Maguire makes stunning claim about Jonny Evans | OneFootball

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has named Jonny Evans as the most underrated player he has ever lined up with during his career.

Maguire discusses United defenders

In a club media interview, Maguire shared his thoughts on United’s defensive lineage, citing legends from the club’s history and more recent stalwarts.

He particularly discussed Steve Bruce, Rio Ferdinand, Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane and Evans, explaining what he picked up from each one of them.

Maguire revealed that Bruce – who won seven major trophies with United, including three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the League Cup, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup – was crucial in his decision to join Hull City in July 2014 from Sheffield United.

According to Maguire, he was fully aware of the success Bruce enjoyed as a player at Old Trafford and wanted to learn from him. He admitted that Bruce was pivotal in reshaping his mindset, shifting his focus from ball-playing to the core principles of defending.

On Ferdinand, Maguire hailed the six-time Premier League winner as a player ahead of his time. He explained that Ferdinand’s exceptional quality on the ball would have made him a standout in any era of the game.

Maguire lauded Varane’s leadership abilities, branding the Frenchman as “arguably one of the best defenders in the last 20 years.” Maguire told United media that Varane’s “born winner” mentality and wealth of elite experience made him a vital repository of knowledge.

Reflecting on his central-defensive pairing, Maguire pointed out that he and Lindelof consistently achieved strong results, with their statistics at times placing them among Europe’s elite. Maguire was quick to point out that Lindelof may not have received the credit he deserved for his contributions to the club, despite being an “excellent player.”

Finally, on Evans, Maguire named the current United coach as the most underrated player he’s shared the pitch with.

Maguire’s Evans claim

Maguire said about Evans, “He’s a great guy. Really calm, a real good player. When I speak about underrated players, I’d say Jonny, for me, was probably the most underrated player I’ve ever played with. If I was a young boy, or I was teaching someone to watch defending and watch body positioning and watch movement, I’d say: ‘Watch Jonny Evans.’”

“He was that good at his body positioning and the way that he’s so active in every part of the game. There are a lot more things to defending than making last-ditch tackles and making big challenges.”

“They get the plaudits from the fans, but your body positioning, your footwork, the understanding of where you need to be… and the main thing as a defender, I always say, is being active in every part of the game, and Jonny was the best I’ve played with in terms of that.”

He continued, “So he was an excellent player, and obviously coming towards the end when he came back to us at the club. But you could still see his quality. I saw a lot more of his quality obviously when he was at Leicester in his prime. But he was amazing to play with.”

Maguire and his teammates are next in action on Sunday when they face league leaders Arsenal at the Emirates.

Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images

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