Harry Maguire is the recipient of special recognition from Alan Shearer after Manchester United’s victory over Aston Villa yesterday.

Rasmus Hojlund received Maguire’s header to put United ahead, and the forward picked up an assist. After being cut from the squad earlier in the season, the England defender is back, and he appears to be developing in time for the summer Euros.

Maguire performed admirably against an insidious and nimble Aston Villa onslaught, and he will have been thrilled to emerge victorious in the end.

Speaking about Maguire, Alan Shearer praised the defender for his mentality on the Rest Is Football podcast.

Alan Shearer commends Harry Maguire

Speaking alongside Gary Lineker, who lauded Maguire as well, Shearer acknowledged that he was very pleased by the tenacity and fortitude displayed by the £80 million defender.

“He has endured a great deal of s**t, hasn’t he? Once again, while we’re talking about attitude and other things, I believe he’s been amazing. Knowing that the manager most likely didn’t want you and didn’t want him to be captain would have made it simple for him. He’s back to playing well now, and he’s showed incredible character to go out and provide a performance like he did yesterday, according to Shearer.

Maguire merits praise.
Shearer is right when he says that Harry Maguire has experienced more abuse and criticism than most players in the past 12 to 18 months.

Although Villa had chances and could have scored more on a different day, Maguire—who makes an incredible £190k a week at Old Trafford—was nonetheless solid in the middle and contributed to the game’s pivotal opening goal.

This is encouraging for United and England alike. With Lisandro Martinez out once more, the Red Devils need him to be playing well, and England needs as many healthy defenders as they can muster.

Shearer should give Maguire this pat on the back, then.