Manchester United are back within touch of Manchester City – and it’s thanks to a small tactical change from Erik ten Hag that has led to fans praising Harry Maguire.

Erik ten Hag moved away from his tactical blueprint on Tuesday evening as Harry Maguire looked like his old self for Manchester United.

The Red Devils had the chance to jump into third – and they did their job as they dispatched Bournemouth with ease. However, Ten Hag’s side remain fourth with a game in hand over Newcastle, who drew with Arsenal.

Ten Hag opted to switch Maguire and Victor Lindelof at OId Trafford, with Maguire playing on the right and Lindelof on the left. The pair were on the opposite side of what they normally play when starting alongside each other.

And Maguire earned plaudits on social media: “Maguire and Lindelof were class today btw, we need to praise them when they do well too!”

“If you’re gonna clown him when he’s bad, then praise him when he’s good, Harry Maguire was brilliant today,” a second added. While a third said: ”

However, one fan wasn’t so quick to praise the pair, instead pointing to the Dutchman: “Ten Hag is so good he made Maguire and Lindelof keep a clean sheet!”

“I am happy with 3-0, that is obvious and quite clear but today was not our best game. We didn’t play smart as a team and sometimes we were lucky,” Ten Hag told the BBC after the game.

He added: “We scored great goals and should have scored more. We could have conceded too but great saves from David de Gea, I am not happy with that. It is something we have to avoid.”

SOURCE: dailystar.co.uk