Gary Lineker and Micah Richards praise Harry Maguire after Liverpool win

Speaking on The Rest Is Football, Micah Richards praised the former United captain for his impact, highlighting how he continues to answer his critics through performances like this one.

“But I’ve been in them situations where it is so difficult to get a foothold in the game,” he told Lineker. “And then for Harry Maguire to score, it just epitomises him as a player and as a person. All the flak he gets, he keeps going right to the end.

“There were a few fans talking about, like he shouldn’t be in the team and all that sort of thing. But in terms of what he does and brings to this team, it’s all heart and I actually believe that he deserved it.”

Lineker backs Richards’ view of Harry Maguire’s display in Man Utd win over Liverpool

Lineker was very much on the same page as Richards, backing up his praise for Maguire and highlighting what stood out about his performance at Anfield. “It really is and I echo your sentiments about Harry Maguire,” he said.

“I always think it’s a bit unfair, the stick he gets, because, you know, with Harry, you’re always getting 100 per cent.

Maguire played the full match against Liverpool, and Lineker thought the 32-year-old showed strong leadership throughout the game.

“He’s also actually very comfortable and confident on the ball, but we all know he lacks a little bit of pace on the turn, which there’s nothing you can do about that as that’s one thing you can’t really improve on particularly,” Lineker continued.

United are now ninth in the Premier League table after their win over Liverpool. Next up for them is a home match against tenth-placed Brighton this Saturday.