Former Sheffield United favourite offers verdict on ex-Blades teammate Harry Maguire after 'unwarranted' Man U criticism ahead of World Cup

And the Everton man drew on his time alongside Maguire back in 2013/14 earlier this week when, speaking ahead of England’s Group B opener against Iran on Monday, he issued a passionate defence of Maguire. The former Blades defender has been targeted with criticism from Manchester United fans in recent times and has started only three Premier League games for his club side this season.

But Coady said: “We see the same old Harry Maguire every time we come away. I’ve known him since I was a kid at Sheffield United, I played with him when I was on loan there. He’s a great friend of mine and an even better footballer.

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“He gets a lot of stick, we all see that, and I don’t think it’s warranted, if I’m being honest. I think he’s a fantastic player and a fantastic human being. We see the same Harry Maguire every time he comes here and how he plays for England, the leader that he is and the character that he is.

“We all come together when we get here and we know what we have to do. I can only speak of knowing him here because I don’t know what the plan is at Man United but in terms of knowing him here, he’s an incredible character and a great person to have around as well.”

Coady spent the season on loan at United from his boyhood Liverpool, essentially his first taste of senior football, and Chris Wilder later explored the possibility of bringing Coady back to Bramall Lane after he had moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers. In his loan spell he helped League One United reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup, where Nigel Clough’s side eventually lost to Premier League side Hull City despite twice leading, and finish just outside the play-offs despite a horror start under previous boss David Weir.

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"It was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. I can't speak highly enough of my time at Sheffield United," Coady has previously said. "The people were fantastic. Nigel was fantastic for me. He's a real good man and a fantastic manager who helped me kick on and made sure we had a good season.

"The league was brilliant, the things we were doing. I went there under Weir and it was tough because we were trying to play a different way and it was a tough, tough league. Nigel came in and really changed it, he knew the league and how to play with the players he had. We had so many games and it was brilliant, I loved every minute of it."

Coady joined Huddersfield Town at the end of his United loan before moving to Wolves in 2015, playing over 300 times for the Molienux club after being converted to a ball-playing centre-half.

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