Fulham star held Harry Maguire in high esteem during their time together at Leicester City, and even now, as they have followed separate paths, the Fulham star continues to find inspiration in the Manchester United center-back.
On Saturday, Bassey and Maguire found themselves on opposite sides as Fulham hosted United at Craven Cottage. Throughout much of the game, it appeared that both players would be celebrating clean sheets, only for Bruno Fernandes to dash the hosts’ hopes with a last-minute winner.
After the rest of their teammates had left the stadium following United’s 1-0 victory, Bassey and Maguire remained behind for an extended chat. While Bassey was part of Leicester’s academy during Maguire’s successful seasons at the King Power Stadium, he learned valuable lessons from the experienced defender before Maguire made his £80m move to Manchester United in 2019.
“At that time, while I was progressing through the ranks, Harry was someone I greatly admired, and I still do. He’s an exceptional player,” Bassey expressed. “Now that we find ourselves on opposing sides, it’s good to receive advice from him, as any top player would offer.”
When asked if Maguire serves as an inspiration to him, the 23-year-old confidently replied, “Of course he does. He was incredible at Leicester and still maintains that level of performance. What he accomplished for Leicester was truly astonishing.”
Maguire’s future at Manchester United seemed uncertain following his removal from the captaincy over the summer. A potential move to West Ham failed to materialize, and although he did not feature in United’s first seven Premier League matches of the season, he has since become a constant presence in the team, even after Raphael Varane returned from injury.
While Bassey never made a senior appearance for Leicester, he thrived at Rangers and Ajax before joining Fulham during the summer transfer window. Forming a partnership with captain Tim Ream in defense, he came agonizingly close to helping Marco Silva’s team secure a better result after two heartbreaking defeats to United last season – one in the league when Alejandro Garnacho scored a last-minute winner, and another in the cup when Fulham took the lead before a penalty and two red cards turned the tide in favor of Ten Hag’s men.
“Silva reminded us that we were incredibly unlucky in both matches last season, so it was time to rewrite our history in a way,” Bassey shared. “Unfortunately, we were once again unlucky, and it was the small details that cost us the game.”
While attempting to capitalize on the noise surrounding United, Bassey emphasized that their primary focus was sticking to their game plan and the preparation they had done. He believed that they executed it well at certain moments, but ultimately, it fell short in the closing stages of the match.
“We had a couple of chances as well, and once again, it came down to those fine details. Joao Palhinha had an opportunity that could have put us 1-0 up; maybe he should have passed, maybe he should have shot, but these things are uncertain,” Bassey revealed.
Although the disappointment of conceding a last-minute goal was palpable, Bassey highlighted the team’s unity. “We stand together, whether we win or lose,” he asserted.
