Harry Maguire was supposed to be the next big thing in Manchester once he moved to Old Trafford from Leicester City in 2019. But, a certain Ruben Dias came onboard Manchester City in 2020 and stole his thunder in no time at all.
Maguire was supposed to be Man United’s answer to Virgil Van Dijk but it’s safe to say that the England international has not been as commanding as the Liverpool central defender.
Ruben Dias, on the other hand, has turned himself into one of the best centre-backs in European football and along with John Stones, the pair had managed to shut down almost all the major teams last season.
The way Manchester City dominated the league last time around, it will be a no-brainer to think that Ruben Dias is hands down a better defender than Harry Maguire. But a deeper look into the stats will reveal that the United man is no wild cat either.
Harry Maguire vs Ruben Dias: Who’s the better centre-back?
Maguire played 34 Premier League matches last season while Ruben Dias played in 32 games so the stats should reflect a pretty decent balance.
The England defender helped keep 13 clean sheets for his club last season while Dias managed 15 from his 32 appearances for City.
Harry Maguire made as many as 122 clearances and won 135 aerial duels both of which are more than what the Manchester City defender had managed(90 and 62 respectively).
The Man United captain also made almost double the interceptions than Ruben Dias(60 vs 35) but he did end up conceding more goals than the City defender(36 compared to 21).
Harry Maguire vs Ruben Dias – Impact:
Harry Maguire has no doubt helped bring in a lot of stability in defence at Man United and now that he is being partnered by Raphael Varane, the England international should be able to play with a lot more ease and composure.
Ruben Dias, on the other hand, found a great partner in John Stones but then the brand of football that Manchester City play, their defensive line is hardly under any sort of huge pressure.
Maguire is yet to win any silverware with Manchester United whereas Dias has already bagged a Premier League title. So, in that department, the 24-year-old has a slight head start.
City are once again favourites to win the EPL this season but over the summer, Manchester United have managed to bring in some pretty decent signings as well. But having said all this, unless Solskjaer can acquire a world-class defensive midfielder, Harry Maguire will never be able to have the same sort of impact as Ruben Dias or a Van Dijk.
Data courtesy Squawka.
The stats were true at the time of writing this article.