Harry Maguire gets his first Premier League start of the season as he partners Jonny Evans in defence for Man United against Brentford
- Harry Maguire’s last Premier League start came on the last day of 2022-23
- Maguire and Jonny Evans have not started together in the league since 2019
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’
Harry Maguire has been handed a first Premier League start of the season for Manchester United against Brentford at Old Trafford.
United have been under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks, and lost both of their last two games at Old Trafford to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray in the league and Champions League respectively.
Maguire’s place at the club has been the subject of much debate in the last two seasons, and had the captaincy stripped from him over the summer having fallen down the pecking order.
Now he has been handed a first start in the league for 2023-24, and will line up alongside former Leicester City team-mate Jonny Evans.
Maguire started the last game of the 2022-23 season, a 2-1 victory at home to Fulham, and Ten Hag will be hoping that his former skipper can inspire a similar result to prevent three home defeats on the trot.
Harry Maguire will start his first game of the Premier League season for under-pressure Man United
Maguire has not started a Premier League game since the end of the previous campaign
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The last time Maguire and Evans started a Premier League clash alongside one another came at the King Power Stadium in the blue of Leicester.
The central defensive pairing saw out a clean sheet against Chelsea in December 2019, and with four conceded at Old Trafford in the last two games, clean sheets have been hard come by.
It will be United’s fifth defensive pairing in six games as Ten Hag rapidly seeks an answer to his side’s defensive woes, having conceded eight goals in that period.
Marcus Rashford had been reportedly close to being axe from the side to take on the Bees, however he keeps his place.
Christian Eriksen will start from the bench against the side he left for the Red Devils, with Sofyan Amrabat partnering Casemiro in midfield.
Victor Lindelof starts at right back, with Diogo Dalot on the left, and Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Rashford line up behind Rasmus Hojlund, with Andre Onana retaining his place in goal.
Jonny Evans and Maguire have not started together since 2019 – for Leicester against Chelsea
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