The irony is unavoidable. Harry Maguire, the man whose career at Manchester United was brought to a shuddering halt by Erik ten Hag, is the man the manager has turned to save his job.
It’s funny how things work out. Not that it will make any odds to Maguire. Regardless of how he might feel about the way the Dutchman has treated him over the past 18 months, the 30-year-old’s overriding priority has simply been to play.
He adores playing for England and losing the United captaincy and his place in the starting XI has thrown his role under Gareth Southgate into intense scrutiny.