Any hope for a comeback story at Man Utd was closed this season when Ruben Amorim exiled five players from the club, but Rio Ferdinand has still found one who ‘rose from the dead’.
Such has been the upheaval at Man Utd in the last year or so that the standing of many players at the club has been sent into a tailspin.
Alejandro Garnacho has gone from being the first name on the teamsheet to being frozen out, and someone like Tyler Fredricson has flourished out of nowhere.
In the meantime, one player has solidified his resurgence despite his Man Utd career looking dead in the water multiple times. Rio Ferdinand had praise for him.
Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United celebrates scoring their first goal with Harry Maguire during the Premier League Summer Series match between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Soldier Field on July 30, 2025 United v AFC Bournemouth: Premier League Summer Series
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand lauds Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire has been close to leaving Man Utd in multiple summers, but has bounced back repeatedly to become a crucial part of the squad.
Even when Ruben Amorim arrived, it was hard to see a role for a player who is not always comfortable defending in a high line, running towards his own goal.
By the end of last season, he was firmly first-choice as the central centre-back, and doing part-time heroics as a striker.
Even now, when Matthijs de Ligt has usurped Maguire as things stand, it would not be wise to write him off completely, a trait that Ferdinand admires immensely.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said that Maguire’s career at Old Trafford has looked “down and out” at times but he manages to bounce back.
He said: “[Harry Maguire is] someone who’s actually risen from the dead. He has shown great character. He was down and out, but he has bounced back. To show that character and resilience [is commendable].
Judgement season for Maguire
At Manchester United, the quest to prove oneself never ends, and for Harry Maguire, this is a judgement season due to the circumstances surrounding it.
Maguire will turn 33 before this time next summer, and he has entered into the last year of his lucrative contract after his option was picked up by the club.
That option was picked up so that United would have a steady presence while they addressed other parts of the squad, but that won’t be the case next season.
Maguire is a model professional, but conventional wisdom dictates that paying him close to £200k/week when he is 33 isn’t the smartest thing to do.
He will have to prove this season that his game will age well, and even still, he will have to agree to cut his wages on his next contract, if one is agreed at all.
Still, it can be said that he has already won at Man Utd because if he leaves next summer, it will be on his own terms, and as a bona fide fan favourite.
The days of him being an outcast and getting pushed out of the club after suffering abuse and vitriol are long behind him.