KEY POINTS

  • Man Utd beat West Ham 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday
  • Marcus Rashford scored the goal for Man Utd
  • Harry Maguire recently missed 7 games due to an injury

Erik ten Hag has backed Harry Maguire, saying the center-back showed "good resilience and attitude" in Manchester United's 1-0 win over West Ham.

Maguire missed seven games due to a hamstring injury and returned to action last Friday when Manchester United hosted Sheriff in a Europa League fixture. While he came off the bench in that game, he started in his side's Premier League game against West Ham on Sunday.

Speaking about Maguire in a post-match conference, Ten Hag said it was never easy to perform immediately after being away for a couple of weeks. Maguire played full 90 minutes in the Red Devils' 1-0 win against the Hammers.

"It was a good performance. It is not easy when you are a couple of weeks out and he only played 45 minutes on Thursday, but Premier League is a different level. Then to come in and to get under such pressure, especially at the end of the game, when it's tough. And we didn't have the opportunity to substitute because we didn't have any more centre-halves on the bench. Then we survive," Ten Hag told reporters after his side's victory Sunday.

Maguire has now made seven appearances for Manchester United this season, starting four of those.

"He was magnificent in protecting the box. He's a great player, a really good defender and we have seen that and how important he is for the squad. I think he showed good attitude, I think he showed good resilience, I think he showed a bit of confidence and that's good to see," added Ten Hag.

'Scared for my life': Manchester United defender Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire is the captain of Manchester United POOL / Oli SCARFF

In the same match, Marcus Rashford, who was the lone scorer, reached 100 goals for Manchester United. He became only the 22nd Red Devils player to do so and the first since Wayne Rooney, who claimed the milestone in 2009.

Rashford tweeted after the game that the positive energy around the club keeps him motivated. Ten Hag backed that by saying "I see a Marcus Rashford who is really happy, smiling and enjoys the game and enjoys being at Carrington and being around the team. That is a good base to perform."

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