The resurgence and redemption of Harry Maguire

Manchester United and England star Harry Maguire was awarded the November Premier League Player of the Month award alongside manager Erik ten Hag.

The fans voted the resurgent Manchester United center-back to win the award after three near-perfect displays in the month.

The defender played every minute of United's three games in November, helping the team keep three clean sheets in wins against Luton, Everton, and Fulham.

It's the first time the England defender has won the award and marks his excellent return to the Manchester United side after a torrid year in and out of the team.

According to @harrymaguire93 on Instagram, he wrote: "@premierleague Player of the Month. I couldn't have done it without my teammates, the staff, and you fans. Your love and support doesn't go unnoticed, I appreciate it."

Just a couple of months ago, no fan or player in England would have expected Maguire to change his fortune at Manchester United, having only returned to the team because of injuries.

Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and Luke Shaw have all had lengthy spells on the sidelines, giving Maguire the chance to rediscover the form that brought him to Manchester.

For Maguire, it would have been easy to give up and move away from the bright lights of Old Trafford, starting only eight games last season as the club captain.

To make matters worse, the England defender was stripped of his captaincy by ten Haag after the manager decided to choose Bruno Fernandes as his leader.

A move in the summer looked imminent for Maguire, with reports that a move to West Ham United was all but finished.

West Ham reportedly bid £30 million, but the England star claimed that the two clubs never agreed on a fee and therefore didn't have the opportunity to say yes or no.

According to thesun.co.uk, Maguire said: "It wasn't just my chance to say, 'Yes, I'm going.' It wasn't agreed between both clubs, so the actual opportunity wasn't there because we didn't get far enough down the line with it."

A move out of the bright lights of Old Trafford may have been the perfect situation for Maguire as he suffered constant online abuse last season from trolls on the internet.

According to BetVictor, former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp said: "Harry has had so much stick over the last couple of years, and a lot of it has been completely rubbish. He's been out of favor but knuckled down and waited for his opportunity."

Since returning to form, Maguire has already started more Premier League games this season (nine) than he did the whole of last season, helping United win six and lose three.

Maguire scored a late winner for Manchester United against Copenhagen in the Champions League group stages in October, giving United a fighting chance of going through against Bayern Munich in the final group game.

With the return of key personnel in the central defender position and obvious competition for places, it's impossible to know if Maguire will continue starting every week. If he doesn't, the last month has proved he is a match for any Premier League team in the future.