I know what Joshua Zirkzee was going through at Manchester United - because I've been there

It was a day of redemption at the Emirates Stadium. Altay Bayindir was the villain last time Manchester United were in north London but emerged as the hero this time. Even his narrative arc was outdone by Joshua Zirkzee, however.

Two weeks after being booed off by his fans at Old Trafford, Zirkzee scored the winning penalty in the shootout to give United a thrilling FA Cup third-round victory against Arsenal. 'Oh, Joshua Zirkzee' rang out from the 7,956 United fans behind the goal where the penalties had been taken.

But there was another hero out there who knows a thing or two about coming back from the dead at United. Harry Maguire was in bed and ill on Friday while his teammates trained at Carrington. Two days later, he lasted 104 minutes and could barely summon the energy to drag himself off the pitch when he was finally withdrawn.

Maguire, magnificent once again at the heart of the United defence, was given a rousing reception from the away end. The 31-year-old has been outstanding since Ruben Amorim told him it was a "no-brainer" to take the one-year option in his contract.

That didn't always look like being the case. Since the start of last season, Maguire has been getting better and better, but he knew his time at Old Trafford was nearly up when he experienced a couple of seasons of despair.

In September 2023, when United lost 3-1 at Arsenal, Maguire was sarcastically cheered by the Arsenal fans, who saw him as a mistake waiting to happen. The same happened on England duty at Scotland the following month, when the Hampden crowd's cheer saw Maguire put through his own net.

Fans booed him during pre-season games in Melbourne, Las Vegas, and Dublin and had become a figure of fun. Fans up and down the country