Harry Maguire is convinced that former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho brought an “excellent player” to Old Trafford ahead of his arrival at the club.
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who is now the head coach of Benfica, took charge as Manchester United manager in 2016 after the sacking of Louis van Gaal.
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Mourinho enjoyed both the highs and lows during his reign at Old Trafford, including leading United to a Europa League title and a League Cup in his debut season.
The 62-year-old Portuguese coach’s second campaign at Man Utd saw the club finish second in the Premier League title race and fall short of the FA Cup trophy.
However, the turning point of Mourinho’s reign came in the 2017-18 Premier League season, with the ‘Special One’ getting sacked by the Red Devils in 2018.
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Harry Maguire deeply rates Victor Lindelof after Jose Mourinho signed the former Man Utd defender
Harry Maguire arrived at Old Trafford in the aftermath of Jose Mourinho’s reign under former Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
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The 32-year-old completed his big-money move from Leicester City in 2019 and Maguire would cross paths with former Man Utd defender Victor Lindelof.
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Victor Lindelof was brought to Old Trafford ahead of Mourinho’s second season in charge, with the Red Devils signing him from Benfica for a £31m fee in 2017.
Speaking to Manchester United’s official website, Maguire said: “I think Victor was an excellent player.
“I believe he didn’t get the credit he deserved when he was playing at this club, although he obviously played so many games and he always played under [the] manager.
“But he was an excellent player and we had an amazing relationship on the pitch.”
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Man Utd and England star Harry Maguire speaks about the importance of Victor Lindelof at Old Trafford
Victor Lindelof made 284 appearances for the Red Devils after he completed his move to Old Trafford and netted four times and picked up seven assists.
Maguire touched on the forgotten impact that the 31-year-old Swedish centre-back had during his early period playing alongside him at the Premier League club.
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“The first two years, I think, if I’m right, we kept the most clean sheets in Europe in the first year, and maybe second or third in the second season,” he added.
“We kept loads of clean sheets, we defended properly, we defended well. So, I’ve probably played the most games with Victor, and I believe our relationship on the pitch was as strong as I’ve had with anybody.”
Lindelof left Old Trafford at the end of the 2024-25 season after his contract expired and the Sweden captain completed a free transfer to Aston Villa last September.
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