Think of a typical Hull City centre-back, and what sort of features come to mind?
Burley, thoroughbred blokes who value 'getting stuck in' above all else, and look like their pre-match meal consists of a few pints and a packet of bacon fries. Think about what this defender looks like.
He looks like Harry Maguire.
But looks can be deceiving, and while the former Sheffield United man can dig in and play like that typical English defender if needed, there is far more to his game, and more and more people are starting to take notice.
His name is boldly British-sounding (but no, there's no link for Irish eligibility), so much so that the cliché 'if his name were Harry Maguirinho he'd be worth £50m' writes itself, and he is blessed with the looks of a generic FIFA create-a-player, making him virtually unmarketable, so being a defender in a team that has spent the season struggling in the relegation zone, it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility for him to go unnoticed. But seriously, the guy is an absolute baller.
I'll admit that I myself had missed how well he had been playing until I saw him in the EFL Cup semi-final against Manchester United a few weeks ago, but against Chelsea on Sunday he was remarkably good.
I was delighted to see MOTD 2 give a spotlight on him after his standout performance at Stamford Bridge.
Harry Maguire is a breath of fresh air. In a Hull City team full of players that look terrified of making another mistake, the centre-back makes these adventurous charges into some really dangerous areas.
It's incredible to watch. He strides forward, looking more like one of Hull's rugby league stars in full pelt, and yet his close control is extremely impressive.
It's as if the opposition think he's going to fall over at any moment, as they continually back off, but Maguire has shown in a number of games now that this is a legitimate weapon at his disposal. At Old Trafford recently, Man Utd fans were left wondering what the hell happened when he nearly ran the entire pitch.
He's got a dangerous strike from range too, and at just 23 he looks comfortable enough to suggest that he'll be playing at the top level for a while. And if not, at least he'll be ridiculously enjoyable to watch while he does.
If John Stones is worth £47.5m because he can pass out of defence, what the hell type of valuation gets put on a man that can charge into his opponent's six-yard box?
He may have come from the Sheffield United academy rather than that of Ajax or Borussia Dortmund, but he's quickly becoming a reason to tune in thanks to his total disregard of the theory of what makes a 'proper' English centre-back.
