Where is Maguire? Manchester United won, why was he absent?

As Manchester United continues to advance and win consecutive Premier League victories, many fans have discovered that a familiar figure is missing - where has Maguire gone?

The English central defender has been the absolute mainstay of Manchester United's defense recently. He has performed steadily and is deeply trusted by coach Ruben Amorim. However, what is surprising is that in the ninth round of the Premier League when Manchester United defeated Brighton 4-2 at home on the evening of October 25, Maguire was completely absent from the game roster.

His "disappearance" confused many fans. After all, just a week ago, Maguire was the team's hero - in the 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, he scored a header and scored the winning goal, helping the Red Devils end their nine-year embarrassing record of not defeating the "Red Army" away from home.

Hit due to injury, the coach took the initiative to protect

According to British media reports, Maguire suffered a minor injury during a training session in midweek. In order to prevent the injury from worsening or relapsing, coach Amorim decided to give him a rest and not participate in this round of games. The Portuguese coach is obviously unwilling to take risks. After all, Maguire is now the "invisible leader" of the defense and is crucial to the stability of the team.

Although he failed to appear, Maguire still appeared in the stands at Old Trafford, wearing training clothes to cheer for his teammates. His presence also reminds everyone that he is still an indispensable member of Manchester United's recovery.

The defense line is reorganized and the new combination is put to the test

In the absence of Maguire, Amorim continues to use a three-centre-back system. Matthijs de Ligt is in the centre, Lenny Yoro moves to right centre-back and Luke Shaw is left centre-back. This defensive line was under pressure for a while during the game, but its overall performance was acceptable. Combined with the firepower on the offensive end, it ultimately helped the team score all three points.

After this campaign, Manchester United temporarily ranked fourth in the Premier League standings with 17 points, showing a strong upward momentum.

Expected to return next week

It is expected that Maguire's injury is not serious and he is expected to return in the following schedule. In the next round, Manchester United will face Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur successively. If Maguire can return by then, it will add important guarantee to the team's road to the fourth place.