According to “Varzesh3,” while trailing 4-6 on aggregate in the two-legged tie against Lyon and needing a miracle in extra time, Rúben Amorim decided to send Maguire forward to save his team in the Europa League.

Ultimately, this tactical masterstroke paid off, as the English defender scored the winning goal with a header in the 121st minute after late goals from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo had brought United level. With Joshua Zirkzee injured until the end of the season, Amorim will have to rely on Højlund as his team aims to return to the Champions League.

However, Redknapp believes that the Portuguese manager would not mind using Maguire as a temporary striker in the remaining matches of the season instead of the Danish forward, who has scored only one goal in all competitions since the start of the year.

In an interview with TalkSport, he said: “You know what I would do? I would play Harry Maguire up front. I’m serious. He gets to the ball, he’s a target man. I would work with him in this position for the next couple of weeks.

They have no one else. Højlund can’t score either. I would involve him in crosses and aerial duels. I would surround him with players. He could be like Peter Crouch or something similar. He’s unstoppable in the air. We’ve seen this over the years. I think Maguire could fill this role in the short term. They have no other goal-scoring forwards.

When I see Harry Maguire and put him up front, I only see one man in the box. Isn’t he good inside the box? In the opponent’s box, he’s a striker, not a defender. He knows how to behave in that space and just needs to use those different qualities at a different moment.”