Maguire lauds Manchester United ‘depth’ after star showing from Lindelof justifies Bailly rotation

Harry Maguire has lauded the “depth” in Manchester United’s squad, with Victor Lindelof slotting seamlessly into their defensive unit after Eric Bailly was rotated for the trip to Liverpool.

The Ivory Coast international centre-half has been the go-to option for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer alongside his club captain in most recent fixtures.

A big selection call to bring in Lindelof was rewarded with an impressive clean sheet on Merseyside, with United rarely troubled by one of the most fearsome attacking units in world football.

There have been plenty of calls for Solskjaer to bolster his back line, but Maguire believes those already at Old Trafford are showing that they are up to the task.

He told MUTV after helping to shut out Liverpool: “It was a big defensive display. Not just from the defenders and the goalkeeper, it was the midfielders, the forwards. They covered us and we looked solid. We didn't give them a big chance. It was a great defensive display.

“Victor has come back to the team in a big game with huge pressure and performed excellently. Credit to Vic, it shows the depth we've got at centre-half now with Eric, who has been playing and doing really well.

“It's important, whoever plays, in the back four, knows the team, knows their responsibilities and keep keeping clean sheets as that gives us the best chance of going on to win the games.”

The stalemate on Merseyside has stretched United’s unbeaten run away from home to 16 matches, with that sequence stretching back over a year.

Maguire is encouraged by the progress being made under Solskjaer’s guidance and is hoping for more joy on the road when the Red Devils head to Fulham on Wednesday.

The England international added: “We wanted to win the game today but we didn’t, but we keep the momentum going of not losing, especially away from home.

“It's going to be a tough game [on Wednesday]. I've watched their recent games, Fulham, and they've got some great attacking players and they play nice football, so we know it's going to be tough.

“Every game in the Premier League is tough but we need to go there with the right mentality to go and win the game. We need to make sure we prepare, recover, get back on the training pitch and make sure we improve. As a group of players, we need to improve to be where we want to be.”