Two years can be a long time in football, as shown by the different paths of the two Man Utd players who Gary Neville considered undroppable back in 2021.
At the time, United were on track for a second-place finish under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, though a defeat against struggling Sheffield United had left the door open for fellow high-flyers Liverpool and Leicester. Former club captain Neville called for his one-time team-mate Solskjaer to make better use of his squad, urging rotation in the lead-up to a record-equalling 9-0 victory over Southampton.
Despite calls for changes to the starting line-up, Neville was insistent that Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire still needed to play every week. A couple of years on, though, the pair have had differing fortunes.
"I do think he’s got a couple of players whereby, if you see the Liverpool front three, the drop-off is huge,” Neville said on The Gary Neville Podcast (via Pundit Arena ). “Whereas actually if you play [Scott] McTominay, he’s probably the number one in midfield alongside Fred, but if you play [Nemanja] Matic, it’s not a massive drop-off. You could flip a coin between them to see who plays.
“I think the same with [Donny] Van de Beek, [Paul] Pogba and [Bruno] Fernandes, Fernandes is number one but the drop-off to Pogba, Pogba is probably equal at times. And the same with [Mason] Greenwood, [Anthony] Martial, [Marcus] Rashford and [Edinson] Cavani, there’s not that massive drop between all of the players.
“There are a couple of them that have to play. I think [Harry] Maguire plays, I think he’s one of them, and Fernandes plays. But the rest of them you can rotate without that big a drop-off.”
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In Fernandes' case, not much has changed. The Portugal international has remained important to United despite summer moves for Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, missing one Premier League game this season through suspension but playing the full 90 minutes in the other 21.
He also agreed a new contract in April, becoming one of United's highest-paid players in the process. "Bruno’s work-rate, dedication and fantastic attitude are exactly what we want from a Manchester United player," football director John Murtough said at the time.
It has been a different story for Maguire, who has suffered more than most since Ten Hag's appointment. Since Neville's comments, United moved for Raphael Varane under former boss Solskjaer before adding Lisandro Martinez early in Ten Hag's tenure, and the pair have relegated the club captain to the sidelines.
Maguire has made just four league starts all season, with an injury picked up on England duty only accounting for part of his absence. There have also been a handful of cup outings for the former Leicester star, but he has admitted the current situation is an unfamiliar one.
"I feel like I’ve looked after myself - I think it’s two-and-a-half weeks since my last start - so I’ve been working hard in training, the lads who’ve been playing have been doing well so when I get the opportunity I need to take it and make sure we win," Maguire told ITV after the FA Cup fourth round win against Reading. "It was nice to be out there helping the lads and I’m ready when my chance comes.
"Of course, I’m a player, 29 years old, and I haven’t really been in this position in my career so it’s a position that I don’t want to get used to, but it’s part of the parcel of football. "I’m working hard every day, I’m pushing, I’m training well, and when my chance comes I need to take it. We know at this club we need competition for places, we have some top centre-backs at this club so I think we’re all good from now until the end of the season."
The recent trend continued on Wednesday, with Fernandes starting the home league meeting with Leeds as United fought back from 2-0 down to claim a draw. Maguire was left on the bench for the entire game, and questions may be asked about his longer term future if he is unable to reclaim his place between now and May.
