Maguire opens up on being Man Utd captain and seeking advice from Young and Evans before £80m move

Harry Maguire revealed how much of a ‘privilege’ it is to captain Manchester United and spoke about how proud he was of the NHS during the current coronavirus crisis. 

Maguire signed for United from Leicester City for £80million last summer, a world-record fee for a defender, and has made an immediate impact at Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 

When Ashley Young left for Inter Milan in January, the centre-back was named as the new captain and, speaking to Gary Neville on The Football Show on Sky Sports, Maguire explained how he was approaching captaincy within his first season at the Red Devils.

Harry Maguire has made an immediate impact at Manchester United and is now club captain

Harry Maguire has made an immediate impact at Manchester United and is now club captain

Gary Neville spoke to Maguire on The Football Show about his time at United so far this season

Gary Neville spoke to Maguire on The Football Show about his time at United so far this season

‘First and foremost it is a great privilege to be Manchester United captain,’ Maguire said.

‘I’ve got to look after my own game, perform at my level, then look after the team. It is important as captain to put the team first ahead of your own performance. You have to be on the pitch to implement that. 

‘We have a number of leaders now, Bruno has come in and shown himself to be a leader. We have a leadership group with a lot of senior pros in there so we are all trying to help and do our bit.’

The defender signed for £80m last summer and is a key player under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

The defender signed for £80m last summer and is a key player under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

The 27-year-old, who had a breakthrough tournament for England at the 2018 World Cup, spoke in detail about his arrival at United last summer, and revealed he sought advice from Young and former United centre-back Jonny Evans about the club. 

‘I spoke to Jonny Evans a lot, who fully recommended such an unbelievable club,’ Maguire divulged.

‘It is more than a football club, the way they have acted throughout this crisis, how classy they have been throughout it, it’s more than a football club. It works well in the community in Manchester, all the things they have done during this crisis.

‘In the six months I worked with Ash [Young] he was brilliant as a captain, he has authority around the place and great respect. I didn’t expect him to move on in January but I wish him all the best and I did learn a lot in that short space.’

Maguire sought advice from Ashley Young, now at Inter and who he replaced as skipper

Maguire sought advice from Ashley Young, now at Inter and who he replaced as skipper

Jonny Evans, who used to play at Old Trafford, spoke highly of United to Maguire last summer

Jonny Evans, who used to play at Old Trafford, spoke highly of United to Maguire last summer

HARRY MAGUIRE THIS SEASON 

  • Appearances: 29
  • Starts: 29
  • Goals: 1
  • Clean sheets: 8
  • Goals conceded: 30 

Statistics in the Premier League  

With the Premier League currently suspended due the coronavirus outbreak, players up and down the country are in lockdown.

Two weeks ago, after talks between captains of Premier League teams, the players set up the #PlayersTogether fund for NHS workers, which has been widely praised by Maguire.  

‘I had numerous players from our team contacting me asking what we’re looking to do [for the players’ fund],’ the United captain admitted. 

‘That was great knowing they wanted to chip in. A lot will do things off their own back that isn’t in the media. Or people will help in their own countries.

‘We spoke to other teams and we coordinated like that. It is really refreshing that every team in the Premier League, when we spoke to the captains, every team wanted to do their bit to help in the crisis. It was really refreshing and it is nice to get it up and running. 

‘I’m so proud of the NHS and the work they’re doing, so I’m following the guidelines.’

Maguire also explained his reasoning behind assisting the elderly and vulnerable in his hometown village of Mosborough in Sheffield, by providing food packages.

‘I grew up there, my family still live there. I provided food hampers for the elderly in the village and the community.

‘Hopefully they can stay at home and not use the shops. I used the local corner shop, Herrings, to provide the food hampers to keep the money in the community. I’m proud to do that.’ 

The England international, who has not missed a minute of Premier League football this season, was finally asked whether he was happy with his decision to swap Leicester for Manchester, despite his former side currently being eight points ahead of United. 

‘Definitely, it is such a big and iconic club. As soon as I knew they were interested, I was jumping at the bit to get there,’ Maguire stated. 

‘The way the club is and the way it’s run, I’m so happy with the decision. We had some difficult times at the start of the season when results didn’t go our way and you know when you play for United the pressure comes down but we’re on the right track, we’ve always felt we’re on the right track. 

‘We’re not there yet. But if we keep improving, next season will be even better than this season. We’ll build and try and reach our goals.’

The 26-year-old celebrates with Daniel James after beating Manchester City in December

The 26-year-old celebrates with Daniel James after beating Manchester City in December 

The United captain has not missed a minute of Premier League football this season

The United captain has not missed a minute of Premier League football this season 

Leave a Reply