Defender says club must get summer recruitment right if they are to win the biggest trophies
Harry Maguire has said the pressure of playing for Manchester United can overwhelm some players, admitting he has seen teammates struggle to cope with the scrutiny that comes with representing the club.
The defender, who recently signed a one-year contract extension with the option of a further season, reflected on a turbulent spell at Old Trafford that included losing the captaincy and falling out of favour before re-establishing himself in the team.
“I see a lot of players come into this club and quite frankly it’s just too big for them,” Maguire said. “The eyes on you, the scrutiny, the analysis. Every goal that goes in, it’s someone’s fault. There’s going to be ex-players speaking about it. That’s just part and parcel of playing for this club.”
Maguire joined United from Leicester City in 2019 for a then world-record fee for a defender. He has since made 266 appearances and won both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. His time at the club has included a sharp dip in form during Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s final months, losing his place under Erik ten Hag, and coming close to a move to West Ham United in 2023 after being replaced as captain by Bruno Fernandes.
Asked whether those challenges might have broken other players, Maguire said: “Probably. I think there’ll be a lot who want to maybe just close the book and just go elsewhere and restart their career. I think it’s probably broken them a little bit earlier.”
He also spoke about the low point of his own experience: “It got to a point where it got really that low, the mocking and the abuse – if you want to call it abuse – that there was only one way it could go.”
Since Michael Carrick took charge in January, Maguire has been a regular starter, helping United climb into the top three and back into contention for Champions League qualification. He believes the club is moving in the right direction.
“Next season you look at it and I think we’ve got to be in the bracket where if we get the recruitment right and everything’s positive from now to the end of the season and we keep going on the curve, there’s no ceiling to where we can reach. We’ve got to be in the conversation to go and win the big trophies.”
