Maguire 'learned a lot' being coached by another big Man Utd defender with eye for goal

Harry Maguire says he “learned a lot” from another big centre half at Manchester United who also got forward and scored key goals.

After arriving with a big transfer fee, Maguire has had to endure his fair share of criticism but he has now established himself as a much-appreciated member of the United squad.

Recently when he was injured, the team lacked his presence at the back and returning against Manchester City, he along with Lisandro Martinez were able to block out the threat from the visitors.

And now he has told how he benefited from the coaching of Steve Bruce when the pair were both at Hull together at the start of Maguire’s career.

Maguire signed for Hull when he was 21 and he says that Bruce was the main reason he signed.

"Yeah he was a big reason, I remember I had a couple of clubs that came in for me that year," said Maguire. "I remember signing for Hull with Steve the manager, Hull were the one I wanted to sign for because of Steve.

"Obviously Hull was a great club as well and I loved my time there but I have to say he was a big influence on why I wanted to sign because of what he did for Manchester United.

"The style he played, I knew he was an amazing centre back, I could get so much knowledge from him at an age when I was desperate to learn and get better and improve. So no doubt having Steve as my manager over three years helped me a lot along the way."

Bruce and Maguire also share a similarity in the way they have both scored crucial goals for the club. Bruce famously got forward and scored many valuable headers as well as being the regular penalty taker for a long time.

"I knew he had a great scoring record," continued Maguire. "When I was a young boy growing up I was always good on the ball and I just wanted to impress and express myself on the ball and driving forward with it, running up the pitch.

"I probably focused more on the ball than I did defending. So I think when I joined Hull Steve made me realise that I am a defender and I needed to defend first. He put that into my game. A great manager, I learned a lot from him."