Harry Maguire has detailed the importance of competition for places within the Manchester United squad as they continue to fight on all four fronts.
Maguire has fallen down the United pecking order under Erik ten Hag, starting just one Premier League game since August. The arrival and subsequent form of Lisandro Martinez initially saw the Argentine nail down the spot to the left of Raphael Varane, while left-back Luke Shaw has also recently been picked ahead of his England teammate in the centre of defence.
But as the only English team to still be fighting on all fronts domestically and in Europe, United have a hefty fixture list. February will bring with it the return of Europa League action and a constant barrage of midweek fixtures, and Maguire has highlighted the importance of squad depth and competition through the second half of the campaign.
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“I think subs throughout our season have been really important," Maguire told United Daily. "They’ve scored some crucial goals, players have come on and had a big impact in the game. So we know it’s a squad game.
“Obviously everyone wants to start and everyone’s disappointed when they don’t start the games, but that’s the way it should be because we’re all footballers, we’re all competitive, we want to play football. But we’ve also got to be ready when we’re called upon.
“I think our fixture list from now until the end of the season is relentless, not much break, not much rest in between games. So I’m sure fresh legs will be used.
“And I think if you’re going to be a successful squad, it’s so important to have competition for places in each position, and I think we’ve got that in this team now.”
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