27 July 2023 , 13:32
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Harry Maguire has endured many setbacks and disappointments in the past year, but has handled them all with class and dignity.
Having lost his place at the start of Erik ten Hag's United reign, Maguire had the suffer the indignity of having the captaincy taken off him and handed to Bruno Fernandes at the start of the US tour.
And when he came on for Raphael Varane in the 62nd minute against Real Madrid in Houston, boos rang out when Maguire's name was read out by the stadium announcer. After that Maguire, who has become something of a pantomime villain, was subjected to further jeers whenever he was in possession of the ball.
It proved a difficult cameo for Maguire and further underlined why he must leave United before the window for the good of his career and his hopes of keeping his England place for Euro 2024.
Now fourth-choice centre-back, a move before the window closes can reignite his career and allow him to prove his value elsewhere, rather than continuing to stagnate at United.
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Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster went into the United dressing-room after his side's 3-1 win in San Diego to seek out Nathan Bishop after his sickening collision with Paul Mullin.
Foster, 40, understood how upset Bishop, 23, was about the injury to Wrexham striker Mullin and wanted to reassure him and offer support to his fellow goalkeeper following the unfortunate incident.
Harry Maguire has handled himself impeccably during a difficult time at Man Utd (William Volcov/REX/Shutterstock)Where should Maguire go next? Have your say in the comments below.
“I feel so bad for Nathan, he’s absolutely heartbroken,” said Foster. “I passed Paul’s number onto Nathan so he can get in touch with him. He’s absolutely gutted, I feel for the lad.”
United said they were hugely grateful for the solidarity shown by former England Foster, for recognising what happened was an accident and for putting Bishop in touch with Mullin, who suffered a punctured lung in the clash and had to spend the night in a San Diego hospital.
As well as being unhappy with Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson's furious post-match comments about the incident, which they felt inflamed the situation unnecessarily, United were angry with his conduct at half-time in San Diego.
As the two teams came off the pitch, Parkinson sought out the referee to remonstrate with him over his failure to show Bishop a straight red card. United are convinced Parkinson's complaints to the ref influenced the official in sending off 18-year-old midfielder Dan Gore for a clumsy but hardly reckless challenge, two minutes into the second-half.
He was booed by Man Utd fans during the friendly against Real Madrid (Manchester United via Getty Imag)United may be one of the biggest and most famous clubs on the planet, but not so for one non-plussed member of staff from the US company promoting the tour.
Prior to kick-off in the game against Wrexham, the person showed their naivety by asking which of the two sides was United.
In mitigation for the person in question, Wrexham were in the red usually worn by United, while Erik ten Hag's side were sporting their new green and white striped kit, which no doubt confused the US promoter.
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Casemiro was the star attraction when Manchester United met his former club Real Madrid in Houston in the early hours of Thursday.
The Brazil star, who joined United from Real a year ago, won five Champions League titles with the La Liga side and remains a big draw for the Spanish media.
After United's defeat at Houston's NRG Stadium, Casemiro was brought over to speak to a small group of English journalists in the interview area.
When Spanish media spotted him, scores of reporters with TV cameras and microphones swarmed around him, proving he had lost none of his appeal for them, despite having left Madrid.