Opinion: Why 2023 could be Harry Maguire's year

This warm reception greeted our club captain Harry Maguire, who replaced Raphael Varane for the closing stages of the game when the Reds were leading 2-0 but still had work to do to make absolutely certain of the points.

Harry had been ill for United’s first match back after the World Cup, the Carabao Cup win over Burnley, but was deemed to be well enough to make the bench against Forest.

Maguire stepped into the fray and looked as composed as ever, helping the Reds see out a clean sheet as Erik ten Hag’s side recorded an eventual 3-0 win to keep up the pressure on the Premier League’s current top four.

When our no.5 was interviewed prior to the 2022 World Cup, Maguire issued advice to his fellow international Reds who were set to participate in the tournament.

“Everyone [is going to have] different emotions when they come back, and you’ve got to make sure your mentality is right and your focus is right to pick up where you left off,” he said.

And on the evidence of his cameo against Forest, Harry looks to have carried his form from Qatar back to Manchester.

Maguire played every single match for Gareth Southgate’s side in the Middle East, partnering Manchester City’s John Stones.

Although the Three Lions were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Varane’s France, the United skipper played exceptionally in England’s back four, despite his stop-start campaign at club level so far.

England conceded only four times during the tournament and Maguire also proved to be an attacking threat, assisting a goal for Arsenal's Bukayo Saka in the opening match against Iran.

The centre-back also dovetailed incredibly well with United team-mate Luke Shaw, who was the preferred left-back for England in Qatar.

A member of the 2018 World Cup's Team of the Tournament, Maguire would surely have been in contention to make the equivalent selection in 2022, had the Three Lions gone further than the last eight.

Of course, another United centre-back tasted the ultimate success in Qatar, with Lisandro Martinez lifting the World Cup with Argentina.

Varane was a runner-up of course and became the first player involved in the final to turn out at club level again when United faced Forest a few days ago.

With Martinez now also back in Manchester and pictured at the training ground ahead of our upcoming clash with Wolves, Ten Hag could have a selection headache with three of the very best central defenders in Qatar healthily competing for two berths in his team.

When you also factor in Victor Lindelof and the recent proof that Casemiro and Shaw can perform at centre-back too, then it's clear that Ten Hag has plenty of top-quality options in that particular position.

Harry will be eager to return to the starting XI against Wolves, but regardless of who the manager selects this Saturday, there seems little doubt that our club captain will play a pivotal role for the Reds in the hectic second half of the season.

The opinions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United Football Club.