Lineker says Carrick has a player in his ranks who’s ‘one of the most underrated in football’

Gary Lineker has hailed Harry Maguire for his ‘intelligence’ following his outstanding display in Manchester United’s triumph in North London.Since Michael Carrick took the reins a fortnight ago, Maguire has started both of United’s crunch league clashes against Manchester City and the Gunners, and ended each as one of United’s best players on the pitch.In fact, he was deemed the best in Sunday’s emphatic win over the league leaders, as he was named the Man of the Match, despite the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo and Matheus Cunha all overseeing five-star displays, too. Another colossal performance from @HarryMaguire93! 👏 pic.twitter.com/qBUdNaTeDI — Premier League (@premierleague) January 25, 2026How Maguire fared vs Arsenal(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)Maguire claiming the award only emphasises the stalwart heroics he exhibited throughout the 90 minutes at the Emirates.As per Fotmob, the centre-half recorded a remarkable nine clearances, two recoveries, one block and one tackle. In attack, he made eight passes into the final third and did not lose a single aerial or ground duel that he contested.In the aftermath of his performance in the Manchester derby, which also saw United claim a clean sheet, John Terry took to Instagram to say that Maguire should be on the plane for the World Cup this summer – and his form certainly will be catching the eye of Thomas Tuchel.What did Lineker have to say about Maguire?(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)When analysing the weekend’s affairs on The Rest Is Football this week, Micah Richards said of United’s No.5: “Harry Maguire in a low block is very, very good. I know he’s laughed at and people make memes all the time.”Lineker responded: “Do you know what I think about Harry Maguire? I think he’s one of the most underrated players in football.“I know people have a pop at him, even people in the game have a pop at him. And I know that he can be turned by a striker with pace, but he makes up for it to a degree with his intelligence.”As things stand, the 32-year-old will be leaving Old Trafford come June when his contract expires, along with Casemiro, who confirmed he would indeed be pulling the curtains on his four-year tenure at the end of the season.However, United may opt to extend Maguire’s stay, even if only through a short-term deal on reduced wages.