24 October 2023 , 23:00
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Mesut Ozil lauded Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Andre Onana in the wake of their match-winning exploits in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Both Maguire and Onana have been fiercely scrutinised in recent weeks for their form, but the beleaguered duo played a starring role in United's 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen at Old Trafford, with the former scoring the decisive goal and Onana saving a 97th-minute penalty.
After taking in the dramatic late scenes at Old Trafford, Ozil took to social media to praise United's unlikely heroes, posting: "Harry Maguire & Andre Onana deserve that - silencing their haters," complete with a shushing emoji. However, the former Arsenal favourite had already made it clear he hadn't forgotten about his old side, who were playing Sevilla at the same time.
In a separate post, Ozil referenced the Gunners' 2-1 win in Spain and another of his former clubs, Real Madrid, who beat Sporting Braga in Portugal. He said: "Real winning, Arsenal winning - an UCL evening to enjoy."
Maguire has endured a difficult few months following a string of poor performances but has looked back to his best in recent weeks, producing another strong display just days after earning the Man of the Match award in United's 2-1 win against Sheffield United.
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And Old Trafford favourite Paul Scholes was full of praise for the former United captain. He told TNT Sports: "He’s never really caused any problems around the dressing room, he’s not that type of player. Tonight has been the story of two separate players that have come under scrutiny and delivered - we see the goal, a great header from Maguire, a big goal for the club.
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"United weren’t at their best, we know that, but they’ve won the game and that’s what counts. These two players, him and Onana, you couldn’t pick better players that you’d more prefer to be heroes on the night and they were."
Rio Ferdinand echoed those sentiments, adding: "I’ve been a big critic of Harry Maguire, when he’s not been playing well, when I’ve felt his performances deserved to be critiqued. But I’m delighted that he’s shown the great character to come back like he has done. He’s now had two massive games, the Man of the Match performance against Sheffield United and tonight."
Maguire himself spoke after the match, too, where he addressed the barrage of criticism that's been levelled at him over the past 12 months. He said: " This is one of, if not the most scrutinised club in the world so if you’re not on your game, it gets picked up, gets analysed.
"But I’m really happy with how I’ve played over the last six to 12 months and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to help the team and bring them back to where they should be."