Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is doing what Erik ten Hag wanted but it might not be enough

Harry Maguire is getting plenty of practice at delivering public rebuttals of his own status, either with England or Manchester United. He came out swinging after the Carabao Cup final and gave another forceful post-match interview in Naples on Thursday night.

It feels like a change of approach from the 30-year-old, who has had a difficult time at club level but remains a key player for Gareth Southgate's England, despite the criticism. He has become a pantomime villain in this country but recently he's become more vocal in defending his own record.

You can understand why. For all that Maguire has lost his way at United and might not be good enough to be regularly starting under Erik ten Hag, he remains a good defender and a good leader.

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Those were traits Ten Hag touched on just over a week ago when Maguire started back-to-back games for United for the first time since August

Discussing his club captain, Ten Hag pointed out that he had become more "dominant and dictating" and started to take more of the "initiative". He clearly wanted more from his skipper.

Those personality traits might partly explain why Maguire is becoming more public in protecting his own reputation and reminding people of his record. When a group of Manchester-based reporters asked to speak to him in the Wembley mixed zone after the Carabao Cup final there was some surprise when he agreed.

He had come on for the final minute of the 2-0 win against Newcastle but he answered every question thoughtfully and spoke well about his own role and what it meant. He twice mentioned that he was club captain, pointed to the importance of finally winning a trophy with United and spoke