Man Utd star nearing return from injury, but his spot has already been filled by ‘outstanding’ replacement

Manchester United should soon regain the services of Harry Maguire, but he’ll have to climb his way back in the hierarchy.The Englishman suffered a muscle injury during the 2-2 draw against Tottenham in November, and has been out of action ever since.His injury coincided with the absence of his defensive partner Matthijs de Ligt. The two centre-backs have recently been joined by Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes on the sidelines. Ruben Amorim is also missing the services of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo, who joined their respective national teams for the African Cup of Nations.Harry Maguire returns to grass trainingAfter more than one month on the shelf, Maguire is closing in on a return to action, as revealed by Man Utd insider, Sully.In his latest update on Centre Devils, the reliable journalist confirmed that the 32-year-old defender has returned to grass training, albeit he’s still working on a personalised regime.(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)The former Leicester star should rejoin his teammates in group training in the coming days, before earning a call-up.While a return against Wolves on December 30 could be unlikely, perhaps he’ll be fit enough to feature in Man Utd’s clash against Leeds on January 4.Why Maguire won’t earn an immediate starting roleAlthough he hasn’t always been in the starting lineup, Maguire has been a key figure in Amorim’s defensive rotation since the start of the season.With De Ligt still ruled out of action, and Leny Yoro endured a worrying decline, the Sheffield native would have been particularly useful over the past few weeks.Nevertheles, Amorim has apparently figured it out, at least based on United’s 1-0 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day.In his first start following his return from an ACL injury, Lisandro Martinez put on an exceptional show at the back. Moreover, the young Ayden Heaven was ‘outstanding’ against the Magpies, with the Portuguese tactician later claiming that the teenager will be a lock in the starting lineup if he manages to maintain this level.So, while Maguire will be itching to return to the pitch, earning a starting spot could be a challenging task, especially if Amorim confirms a switch to a four-man backline.