Manchester United legend Steve Bruce insists Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez are still the duo best equipped to lead Michael Carrick’s defence this season.
Carrick has four centre-halves at his disposal – five when Matthijs de Ligt returns from a back injury that has kept him sidelined since last November.
Maguire and Martinez emerged as the manager’s first-choice pairing last season, starting eight of Carrick’s 17 games in charge with injury and suspension breaking up the partnership before it resumed for a strong end to the campaign.
Martinez’s involvement in the World Cup final for Argentina in July means he is still working his way back to full fitness with Ayden Heaven starting alongside Maguire in the opening game of the season against Hull City on Saturday. It was a disastrous afternoon at the back for United, undone twice on set pieces in a dismal 2-0 defeat.
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Many of United’s glory years were built on an impenetrable foundation at the back with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic forging one of the most feared partnerships in Premier League history.
Before them, there was Bruce and Pallister, the formidable pairing for Sir Alex Ferguson’s first three league title triumphs as he set about building his empire.
While Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are regarded as the partnership for the future by staff at Carrington, Bruce is confident Maguire and Martinez remain their best options this season.
‘I assumed Carrick would start with the partnership he finished with last season in Maguire and Martinez. They would seem to be the stand out pair,’ Bruce told Metro, speaking via Free Bets, the home of UK betting sites.
‘Maguire is 33 now, he’s had a wonderful career and people have been writing him off for a long time only for him to come back and kick them in the teeth. That’s his make-up.
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‘He is fantastic in both boxes. He is very good at first contact. If he stays injury-free, he can keep going for another few seasons as he is still a very good player and he is still for me, alongside Martinez, United’s first-choice pairing.’
United invested heavily in attack last summer with this summer’s focus on a midfield rebuild. The club hope they already have the long-term options they need at centre-half in Heaven, 19, and Yoro, 20, but there are still questions over the pair.
Yoro, a £52million signing from Lille in 2024, is now entering his third season at United and is still to truly establish himself as a first-choice option. But Bruce has called for more patience with the duo, convinced they have ‘everything in their locker’ to flourish together.
‘The younger lads played very well in pre-season, Heaven and Yoro still have an outstanding future,’ Bruce said. ‘They are only young. You always get better as you get older in that position. I was better at 31 than I was at 21 because of the experience you pick up, the experience of putting yourself in different situations.
