Harry Maguire praises Man Utd's squad depth after losing starting spot

Harry Maguire has spoken of the importance of Manchester United’s squad depth as the club continues to battle for trophies on four fronts.

The Red Devils face Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday looking to close the eight-point gap between themselves and the Gunners.

That clash comes ahead of an EFL Cup semi-final first-leg meeting with Nottingham Forest, while United are also in the fourth round of the FA Cup and face Barcelona in the Europa League next month.

With so much to play for, it’s important Erik ten Hag rotates his squad to keep everyone fresh, competitive and free of injury.

Despite any frustrations at starting just two of United’s last eight matches since the World Cup, centre-back Maguire knows the value of having competition for places.

“I think subs throughout our season have been really important, they’ve scored some crucial goals, players have come on and had a big impact in the game. So we know it’s a squad game,” said Maguire.

“Obviously everyone wants to start and everyone’s disappointed when they don’t start the games, but that’s the way it should be because we’re all footballers, we’re all competitive, we want to play football. But we’ve also got to be ready when we’re called upon.

“I think our fixture list from now until the end of the season is relentless, not much break, not much rest in between games. So I’m sure fresh legs will be used.

“And I think if you’re going to be a successful squad, it’s so important to have competition for places in each position, and I think we’ve got that in this team now.”