“Great impact…” – Ole Gunnar Solskjær highlights key moment behind Man United player’s difficulty

Ole Gunnar Solskjær has highlighted one key moment that hindered the career of Manchester United defender Harry Maguire.

Solskjær, 51, was in charge at United for just under three years, and one of his first major transfers to the top was to buy Leicester City defender Harry Maguire for a British transfer record fee.

Maguire was key for the Norwegian manager during his first two full seasons in charge, with the club finishing third and then second in the Premier League table.

However, Maguire’s 2021/22 campaign was disappointing, and the defender was eventually dropped to the bench under new manager Erik ten Hag the following season.

Despite having positive moments since then, Maguire has largely been a backup player and rarely seems as dominant and confident as when he first joined the club.

Speaking on The Overlap YouTube channel, Solskjær said: “I loved Harry as a captain. He was the leader in that group. For me, when I was there.”

It seemed likely that Maguire would leave the club last summer, but he remained at Old Trafford and has pushed back against criticism to put solid performances together, despite not quite being at his prior level.

“The way he has handled himself, top class,” added the former United boss. “For me, what I want from players, they dig in, they don’t just stop at first opponent, they stay in there and do the best they can.

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“When he came in, he was different class. I still remember the first training session; he looked like a man mountain in comparison to the others.”

Interestingly, when the Norweigan was questioned on what had gone wrong for Maguire at United for his form to dip, he detailed the incident Maguire dealt with in the summer of 2021, when he was arrested in Mykonos.

“That summer in Mykonos,” he responded when asked the reason behind Maguire’s difficulties. “I think that had a great impact on him.”

Maguire was involved in an altercation with local police whilst holidaying on the island after his sister Daisy was stabbed in the arm. He claimed that the officers attacked him.

The United defender is still yet to be able to clear his name, with the latest court date having been delayed due to a lawyer’s strike.