Harry Maguire believes Manchester United have a “fresh start” as they head into a new season seeking to atone for a dire past 12 months.
United’s post-Ferguson malaise hit an all-time low after a 15th-placed finish – their worst ever in the Premier League – and not even a run to the Europa League final, where they lost to Tottenham, could paper over the cracks.
But the big-name signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, as well as a £50million training ground upgrade, have given United a spring in their step to go into the new campaign.
They welcome old rivals Arsenal in their season opener on Sunday and Maguire, appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, said: “The lads are working hard and it’s a great atmosphere in the place.
“We want to be successful, we’re doing everything we can to be successful. Sometimes we know it’s not been good enough for a recent (period) and we’ve not given our fans as much.
“I feel like it’s almost a little bit of a fresh start and hopefully this start is a good start.”
Maguire, who missed the start of a pre-season trip to the United States for a personal matter, joined United six years ago from Leicester in an £80million deal, a then world record fee for a defender.
His signing is among a number of eye-popping sums United have spent but consistent success under any manager has eluded them in the last dozen years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.
Maguire said: “There has been a transition period, obviously, when Sir Alex was here and we had the best team by far and won all the trophies. But the reality is that we’re not the best team.
“You’ve got to thrive off the pressure and you’ve got to play like you’re playing in a playground. I think that’s what we’ve struggled to find over the last 10 years.”
Maguire has polarised opinion at Old Trafford and his days appeared numbered under former manager Erik ten Hag, who stripped the England centre-back of the captaincy and dropped him from the first team.
A move to West Ham in 2023 collapsed as Maguire decided to fight for his place and he has found himself back in favour since Ten Hag was dismissed and replaced by incumbent boss Ruben Amorim last year.
Indeed, a 12-month extension to his contract was triggered in January and United have reportedly rejected overtures from a number of clubs to keep Maguire, whose deal expires at the end of the season.
Addressing the criticism he gets at United, the 32-year-old added: “I think there’s more scrutiny on Manchester United just because more people in the country hate them – and that’s just a fact.”
:: Listen to the full Rio Meets Harry Maguire interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
