Harry Maguire put clown make-up on someone else - and Man Utd immediately scored

For the first 15 minutes of Manchester United's trip to Nottingham Forest, it looked like Harry Maguire was having another one of those days.

Within three minutes the skipper was in the book after Rugby tackled Taiwo Awoniyi, giving Forest a chance to intimidate the out-of-form defender and tease him in a second yellow .

And then 10 minutes later the City Ground gave its biggest cheer of the afternoon when Maguire ran firmly through half the forest before hitting a straight out single pass of the game.

The crowd's verdict? "Leicester reject…Leicester reject…"

But despite the shaky start, despite the booking, despite the delight of Forest fans and the palpable terror of those in United colours, Maguire finally began to cobble together a performance.

The towering header was followed by a solid clearance, and as the game progressed it looked like Maguire's years playing alongside Victor Lindelof might actually be a thing helpful, not a shared trauma they were now forced to relive.

At half-time United were ahead and the captain looked assured. Or as close as you could reasonably expect.

It was only after around 70 minutes that nerves started to mount for United fans.

After all, it had only been three days since Maguire cost United their Europa League advantage by failing to jump for a challenge against Youssef En-Nesyri, leaving the bullet cannon in his head instead then in United. objective.

If there's one thing these fans know, it's that a mistake can happen at any time until the final whistle.

But today was not going to be like Thursday.

Because while those around him grew nervous as they approached the home stretch, Maguire tapped into his admirable (if sometimes bewildering) reserves of confidence.

It was that same optimism that had the Yorkshireman turning to the media during the recent international break. "I shouldn't really need to prove myself at this level," he said. "I've made over 50 caps. I'm the best English defender."

Of course, when that confidence manifests itself in footballing actions, it can go both ways.

In the 76th minute against Forest, it produced one of the highlights of the match - a tiny bit of redemption for the much-beloved 30-year-old who also helped settle the match result .

With the ball bouncing in United's half and Maguire the last man back, Forest sub Sam Surridge saw an opportunity to push the burly defender into a mistake.

If it was Christian Eriksen or Bruno Fernandes winning the ball, you can be sure Surridge wouldn't have had the conviction to try and win it. But a mentally bruised and yellow carded Maguire? The eyes of the Forest striker would have lit up.

So Surridge charged the United defender, ready to pinch the ball and set his side up for a spectacular equalizer.

Instead, Maguire saw danger approaching, faked a pass down the line, then sat Surridge down on the City Ground turf with a frankly elegant shimmy (no, really) the other way.

Now Maguire's critics might say that Surridge simply slipped, that Maguire's trickery was actually a display of very basic technique and common sense that one would expect even from a Ligue 2 goalkeeper .

But for a player who seems as cursed as technically limited these days, it was an immensely satisfying display of control and composure. You might be thinking, "Well, I could do it blindfolded", but you haven't been known as England's chief clown for four years, have you?

However, Maguire's feint was not limited to embarrassing Sam Surridge.

When the striker hit the bridge and Maguire swung away like a ballet dancer from 14 stone, all the pressure on United was released. The team understood that everything was going to be fine, that there was no reason to panic, that they were facing an 18th and not an 8th team.

Just 20 seconds after Maguire's star turn, Diogo Dalot put the ball in the net to make it 2-0 and kill the game.

The assist went to Antony, but it was the captain (whom Antony had earlier snubbed invitingly; face crying with laughter) who laid the groundwork.

So what does Maguire's solid performance and silky skill mean in the grand scheme of things?

As far as his career at United goes, probably very little.

It's no secret that Maguire is in the starting XI out of necessity, and well...