I signed Harry Maguire before Man Utd move – I was worried about one thing I saw

Manchester United legend Steve Bruce admitted Harry Maguire's lack of pace worried him when signing him for Hull City.

The former defender managed Hull for four years and was responsible for bringing in Maguire back in 2014 in a £2.5million move from his boyhood club Sheffield United.

The England international spent three years in Yorkshire where he achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2016 alongside Liverpool legend Andy Robertson.

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Following Hull's relegation to the Championship, Maguire secured a £12million move to Leicester City and made an instant impact where he was awarded player of the season, as well as players' player of the season at the club's end of season awards.

After just two years at Leicester, the England international became the world's most expensive defender when signing for Manchester United for £80million in 2019. He was named captain six months later in what has since been a disappointing tenure at Old Trafford where he's lost the captaincy to Bruno Fernandes as well as his place in the starting lineup.

Speaking to Betway, Bruce admitted while he thought Maguire was talented when watching him for Sheffield United, one facet of his game "worried" him. "My chief scout at the time, Stan Ternant, said to me: 'I've just seen an interesting player play for Sheffield United. This kid is good in both boxes. He told me he's 21, he's played 150 times for Sheffield United, he's the captain, he won Player of the Year three years on the spin'.

"He said: 'I believe the kid’s got something', so we went to watch him and I was a little bit worried when I first saw him, because of his mobility."

Despite his struggles at United that's seen him lose his place in the team at points during the season, Bruce said Maguire's been made out to be the "scapegoat for too long" as he added: "You understand when he's not there how much you miss him. He's resilient. He's got something about him. He's never let England down and, for me, he's never let Manchester United down either."