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Zack Oaten
Under-fire Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire has produced defensive stats that are almost identical to Liverpool's star man Virgil Van Dijk.
That is the conclusion from research conducted by Midnite anyway, who have "collected the defensive statistics for all of the centre-backs who regularly play for the big six of (Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea) and compared them against each other.
Surprisingly, United benchwarmer Maguire, who endured a nightmare couple of Nations League matches for England while on international duty, is matched up with Van Dijk, widely regarded as the best defender in the Premier League
The study reads: "In his 202 Premier League appearances he has made 206 tackles with a 69% success rate, making 221 interceptions to show his ability to read the game is high."
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"But in four games more, Maguire has made 254 tackles himself - with an almost identical success rate of 67%."
It does not stop there, however, as aerial duels and interceptions are remarkably similar too.
"Interceptions-wise, the United star has is just as impressive, totalling 326 at 1.58 interceptions per game. Van Dijk’s record is 1.59 per game."
Van Dijk wins 74% of his aerial duels compared to 72% for Maguire and these stats equate to the best records of all central defenders among the big six clubs.
Despite Maguire's poor start to the season you cannot deny that these statistics are impressive, even if the former Leicester City man has appeared in three games fewer than Van Dijk.
Manchester United currently sit above Liverpool in fifth place in the Premier League standings, three points above their Merseyside rivals. Manager Erik ten Hag seems to have found his preferred defensive partnership in Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane after a slow start to the season.
Maguire's form nosedived during the international break but should the underlying numbers offer food for thought for Ten Hag ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby?