- Manchester United centre-back sends Thomas Tuchel a message
- England boss is unsure about whether to bring Maguire
- Maguire is desperate to go to the World Cup
Harry Maguire insisted, “I’m arguably one of the best defenders in the world in both boxes, ” when speaking to Mark Critchley of The Athletic. The pair discussed his new contract, the upcoming World Cup, and the ridicule he has faced throughout his time at Manchester United.
Across seven years at United, Maguire has faced some of the most relentless and, at times, vindictive online abuse directed at a player. A study by the Alan Turing Institute found he received 8,954 abusive tweets during the first half of the 2021/22 season, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Yet, in the years since, Maguire has pushed back against that noise and worked his way back into the conversation as one of the Premier League’s more reliable centre-backs.
Maguire’s Rollercoaster Ride at United
Maguire explained to Critchley on the second morning of United’s mid-season training camp in Kildare, Ireland:
“When you’re Manchester United captain and when you’re a central defender, you can’t get away with that. You can’t get away with struggling. I see a lot of players come into this club and, quite frankly, it’s just too big for them. The eyes on, the scrutiny, the analysis. Every goal that goes in, it’s someone’s fault.”
He added:
“I felt a lot of responsibility for that, as performances leading up to Ole losing his job weren’t good enough for what was required for Ole himself.”
On July 16, 2023, a little over a year after the worst spell of his career, Maguire lost the captaincy. His first reaction leaned towards anger and disappointment:
“That’s natural, but I always thought when you play at the top level, unless you are one of the superstars and a world-class player, you have ups and downs. You have things that you have to deal with.”
Maguire explained the pressure that comes with playing at the elite level:
“That’s why you see so many players have two or three years at the top, then they drop off and they wander off and go into a different country and you don’t hear too much about them again. To play at the top, you’ve got to deal with the ups and downs.”
The England centre-back looked to others who had faced similar moments at United. David Beckham and Wayne Rooney both came up in that conversation:
“They were unbelievable world-class players, so if it happens to them, it can happen to anyone,” he says. “I just kept my head down. I have great self-belief, more importantly, that I’m a top player. That’s what helps me when things are tough.”
Maguire’s lowest moment, though, came on the international stage in a friendly against Scotland back in September 2023. Coming on as a substitute to a cacophony of boos and jeers, every touch was met with a round of sarcastic applause.
It reached its height when he diverted an Andy Robertson cross into the back of the England net. But he didn’t dwell on that torrid night.
Magurie’s Resurgence
Despite everything across the last few years, Maguire now looks closer to his best—even at 33. He remains determined to feature at the 2026 World Cup, despite criticism from Thomas Tuchel:
“Whatever role the manager would want me for, whether that’s starting or deciding games late on… I still believe, even at my age, I’m arguably one of the best defenders in the world in both boxes. I don’t think that’s open to question, really.”
Maguire’s focus, though, remains immediate—Champions League qualification:
“This summer’s going to be a big summer — we’ve got to recruit really well. Obviously there’s a big manager decision as well, but it is about bringing players in,” he says. “We need more players, we need better quality, we need players to come into the starting XI. And then when everything comes together, we’ll see where it is at the start of the season.“
He added:
“Over the last few years you’ve obviously had Manchester City and, before the start of the season, you knew you had to put a points tally together where it was some going to catch them.”
Maguire concluded:
“Arsenal are in a strong position of course, but next year we’ve got to be … come February, March, we don’t want to be adrift like we have been this year. Next season 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.”
Maguire has made 20 appearances across competitions this season, posting two goals and one assist. He is closing in on 270 games for the Reds since he arrived from Leicester City back in the summer of 2019.
