Harry Maguire said he was 'born to play for Man Utd' as hero draws Steve Bruce comparison

Harry Maguire was 'born to play for Manchester United', according to former club goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.

Maguire joined the Red Devils for £80million from Leicester City in 2019.

He thus became the most expensive defender in history.

It has been an extremely trying career at Manchester United for the England defender.

After being named club captain in 2020, Maguire has come under intense scrutiny for his performance.

Usually a regular for England, the 29-year-old has been a disappointment at club level and failed to live up to his high price tag.

His long-term future at United has been thrown into question with Erik ten Hag not too fond of him.

Lisandro Martinez entered the starting XI straight after arriving in the summer.

The Argentine has paired Raphael Varane at the heart of the defence, but the Frenchman's injury problems since his debut season have continued into this season.

Varane was injured in a match against Chelsea last month, but was deemed fit enough by France manager Didier Deschamps to play in the World Cup.

Due to Varane's injury, Maguire's playing time in the Premier League has increased.

However, Ten Hag dropped his captain to the bench for Sunday's loss at Aston Villa, opting to start Victor Lindelof alongside Martinez.

Despite his poor form and lack of playing time, Maguire was named in England's World Cup squad.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has insisted young defenders Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi 'didn't do enough' to beat Maguire for a place in the 26-man squad.

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While Southgate obviously loves Maguire, so does Manchester United legend Schmeichel.

The former goalkeeper says the centre-half was 'born to play' for the Red Devils.

He even went so far as to compare him to legendary defender Steve Bruce.

"This guy, he was born to play for Manchester United," Schmeichel told Sky Sports.

"He reminds me a bit of (Steve) Bruce. Not the same kind of player, but the same kind of personality.

"You need those kinds of players in the team. He's a level-headed guy. I think what happened to him in Greece shocked him a bit."

Maguire could be approved on Sunday when United take on Fulham at Craven Cottage, with Varane not yet fully fit.

He played the full 90 minutes on Thursday as his side knocked Aston Villa out of the Carabao Cup with a 4-2 victory at Old Trafford.

United's first competitive game after the World Cup will be against Burnley in the same competition.

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