Harry Maguire Reveals Underrated Ex-Teammate Was 'Excellent'

Harry Maguire has admitted that he saw a lot of the “quality” that one “really calm” former Manchester United player had after playing alongside him. The 32-year-old former Manchester United captain’s time at Old Trafford appears set to end in 2026 after entering the final six months of his existing deal at the Red Devils. HOW will Harry Maguire be remembered at Manchester United?💥 United activated the 12-month extension that was inserted in Harry Maguire’s previous deal in 2024 during Ruben Amorim’s reign at the Premier League club. However, Maguire’s long-term future at the Red Devils remains uncertain and the England international could leave at the end of the 2025-26 Premier League season. The Man Utd defender is free to speak with clubs outside of England and could sign a pre-contract agreement ahead of becoming a free agent in the summer. READ MORE: Wayne Rooney convinced ‘very clever’ Arsenal player could cause Man Utd big problems, his ‘anticipation’ stands out Harry Maguire singles out former Man Utd defender Jonny Evans after playing alongside him at Old Trafford Jonny Evans called it time on his longstanding playing career at Manchester United after he made his exit from the Premier League club last summer. More United News The 38-year-old saw his contract expire at the end of the 2024-25 season and Jonny Evans opted to retire and initially took a behind-the-scenes role at Old Trafford. Speaking to Manchester United’s official website, Harry Maguire insisted that Evans would be the perfect blueprint for any up-and-coming defender to study deeply. With Ruben Amorim SACKED, where will Manchester United finish in 2025/26? Let's see your predictions! “He’s a great guy,” he said, before adding: “Really calm, a real good player. When I speak about underrated players, I’d say Jonny, for me, was probably the most underrated player I’ve ever played with. “If I was [sic] a young boy, or I was teaching someone to watch defending and watch body positioning and watch movement, I’d say: ‘Watch Jonny Evans.’ “He was that good at his body positioning and the way that he’s so active in every part of the game. “There are a lot more things to defending than making last-ditch tackles and making big challenges.” READ MORE: Antonio Conte sends same powerful message to Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay as all other Napoli players What Man Utd star Harry Maguire noticed about Jonny Evans during his ‘prime’ form away from Old Trafford Jonny Evans left Old Trafford in 2015 under Louis van Gaal’s reign and went on to play for West Brom before he finally settled at Leicester City in 2018. The former Man Utd centre-back would stay with the Foxes until 2023 ahead of his return to Old Trafford under ex-Red Devils and Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag. Who do you think will be Man Utd manager at the start of the 2026/27 season? 🔮 Let us know who you believe will and should be in charge? Who will Ineos appoint? According to Maguire, he crossed paths with Evans when his former teammate was in his “prime” at Leicester City and explained what United fans did not see. “They get the plaudits from the fans, but your body positioning, your footwork, the understanding of where you need to be… and the main thing as a defender, I always say, is being active in every part of the game, and Jonny was the best I’ve played with in terms of that,” he continued. “So he was an excellent player, and obviously coming towards the end when he came back to us at the club. “But you could still see his quality. I saw a lot more of his quality, obviously, when he was at Leicester in his prime. But he was amazing to play with.” Evans lifted three Premier League titles, a Champions League, an FA Cup and two League Cups during his two separate spells with Man Utd.