Harry Maguire celebration speaks volumes about Erik ten Hag sack pressure at Manchester United

It is a year ago this month that Harry Maguire netted the winner against Copenhagen that briefly spared Erik ten Hag’s Champions League blushes, with a huge helping hand from Andre Onana’s last-gasp penalty save.

The match was framed as a potential revival point under the manager, yet Manchester United find themselves in a worse position 12 months on. Two wins in six Premier League matches and two points out of a possible six in the Europa League this time around marks objective regression.

It was only two weeks after that Old Trafford win over Copenhagen that United gave up a two-goal lead during the reverse match in Denmark to lose 4-3. They ultimately finished bottom of the standings.

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The new formatting of UEFA competition from this season allows more wiggle room for clubs to enter the knockouts with only the bottom 12 teams in the mass table missing out. But Thursday’s 3-3 draw with Porto felt eerily similar to last season’s trip to the Danish capital, not least thanks to Maguire’s pivotal intervention.

The irony of the defender proving to be the saviour of the hour when Bruno Fernandes - who acquired the captaincy when Ten Hag stripped Maguire of it in 2023 - had been sent off for a second game in a row is not lost.

Fernandes, who may feel aggrieved at both red cards this week, is undroppable, but his recent form has hardly been unstoppable. The fact that no other regular has stepped up to take the bull by the horns shows the leadership predicament United are in when Fernandes is off-colour.

United can count their number of talismans