Man Utd’s top 10 goalscoring defenders of the Premier League era: Maguire up to 4th…
Harry Maguire has proven to be a useful member of the Manchester United side on both sides of the ball since his high-value move from Leicester City in 2019.
He captained the side for a few years and, alongside his defensive duties, the centre-back has cropped up with some goals in huge moments during his Red Devils career.
The latest saw Maguire rise above the Liverpool defence to nod into the corner of the net to steal all three points for United against their rivals, moving him to 17 goals for the club in the process.
Here, we have looked into where Maguire ranks in terms of United’s goalscoring defenders since the 1992-93 campaign.
1. Denis Irwin
One of the best goalscoring defenders ever to grace both the Premier League and Old Trafford, Irwin bagged 33 goals for United during an illustrious career in which he returned nearly 20 trophies.
Of those 33 goals, 29 came after ’92, still comfortably placing Irwin top of the list in that period.
2. Nemanja Vidic
Part of a crucial centre-back partnership with Rio Ferdinand during the end of United’s dominant era, Vidic is seen as a modern-day legend at the club.
As well as his hard-hitting tackling, his propensity for scoring goals raised his profile with United fans.
The Serbian defender scored 21 goals during his United career, including five in the triumphant 2010-11 Premier League season.
3. Chris Smalling
It is perhaps forgotten the impact that Smalling had during his time at United. The centre-back, who played 31 times for England, also represented the Red Devils in more than 300 games.
During those, the towering defender chipped in with 18 goals, including a brace in a 3-1 victory over Burnley in 2015.
=4. Steve Bruce
Perhaps one of the most technically gifted centre-backs ever, Bruce bagged 50 goals during his time as a United player.
More than half of those came prior to the ’92 season, but he still scored 17 from that point onwards.
=4. Harry Maguire
Maguire’s winner against Liverpool put him level with Bruce’s tally since ’92, of 17.
He often finds himself in and around the opposing box when United need a goal, and in the 2024-25 Europa League quarter-final second leg, he both scored and assisted in the 5-4 victory after extra time – up there alongside the Liverpool goal with his most crucial strikes.
6. John O’Shea
O’Shea was similar to Maguire in that his position was adapted when United were in need of goals.
He scored some stunners among his tally of 15 goals, including a chip over the keeper against Arsenal, which he suggested was his favourite goal for United.
=7. Gary Pallister
Former United centre-back Pallister scored 15 goals during his time at the club.
Of those goals, 10 came from the start of the ’92 season, including a best haul of four goals in the 1994-95 campaign.
=7. Mikael Silvestre
Silvestre played 361 games for United, split fairly evenly between centre-back and left-back.
His tallies for goals and assists reflect that. Silvestre assisted 23 goals during his time at United, and scored 10 on top of that.
=7. Patrice Evra
Another former United left-back, Evra, was seen as one of the best in his position in the world for the majority of his career.
During a dominant era for the club, Evra scored 10 goals, with only three coming in his first five seasons. He then bagged four in 2013-14, and three the following campaign.
=10. Ronny Johnsen
Norwegian defender Johnsen played exactly 150 games for United, and in them he scored nine goals.
His best tally of three goals came in the 1998/99 campaign, from just 22 Premier League games.
=10. Diogo Dalot
It is very likely that Dalot will rise higher on this list by the time his United career is over.
The full-back is currently level with Johnsen, on nine goals, but that three came in 2024-25 suggests he’s probably good for more in Amorim’s team.
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