Maguire reveals the secret to his comeback and contract renewal! Urges Manchester United to spend another 200 million in the summer transfer window to compete for the title next season.

Harry Maguire has renewed his contract with Manchester United, but he still remembers the day he hit rock bottom in his life. It was September 2023 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, where the England national team faced Scotland. Maguire came on as a substitute in the second half, and every time he touched the ball, the home fans cheered loudly for him. Applause from opponents was clearly ironic.

A week before that, Maguire also received similar treatment when he came on as a substitute in Manchester United's match against Arsenal. Maguire performed quite well in that game, but still scored an own goal, making him the target of ridicule and criticism from fans. Opponents felt Maguire's presence was beneficial to their team, and many of Manchester United's own fans mocked him on social media and even booed him at home games. In Melbourne, Las Vegas, and other places, Maguire heard boos whenever he played, and he fell into a slump.

Maguire reflected on this but couldn't understand why he had fallen into such a situation. He always blended well with teammates, and his only flaw might be his liking for vodka and Jägermeister. But he soon realized that even Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and his England predecessors like David Beckham and Wayne Rooney faced criticism—this is the reality of modern professional football.

“At that time, I sometimes thought: ‘Why? I don’t know why this is happening, I don’t know the reason.’” Maguire recalled, “My form did dip, of course, everyone goes through such phases in their career. But the situation back then was that I was just a lad from Sheffield playing for a giant club like Manchester United. I thought maybe this was the truth of the matter, all caused by the club’s poor performances. But looking back now, I think my reaction might have been a bit excessive. I remember thinking, I really don’t know how all this happened, I don’t know why things changed so fast.”

Now, when Maguire appears at Carton House in Dublin, fans worship him and congratulate him on his successful contract renewal. The 33-year-old English defensive pillar talks endlessly about the highs and lows of his Manchester United career, and this time there are no boos.

Two years ago, Ten Hag stripped Maguire of the Manchester United captain’s armband and tried to sell him to West Ham United in that summer transfer window. If both sides had agreed on salary terms, he might have left. Regarding this, Maguire emphasizes that he is an easygoing person who can ignore difficulties and criticism, but his family found it harder to accept.

After that England vs. Scotland match, Maguire’s mother Zoe posted on social media, saying the treatment of her son being booed by his own fans was disgraceful. Maguire advised his mother not to publish that post, but she refused.

Afterward, things started to improve, not because of his mother’s complaints, but due to Maguire’s own improved performances. Now, Maguire’s new contract will keep him at Old Trafford for his eighth season, and he is praised for possessing the traditional Manchester United character and resilience.

“I think many people in my situation might want to turn the page and start their career anew somewhere else,” Maguire said, “That might have made them collapse earlier. I felt things had developed to an uncontrollable point, with ridicule and insults, so that matters could only go in one direction.”

Maguire admits that in the three or four years before and after his £80 million transfer from Leicester City to Manchester United, he was one of the best center-backs in the world. But after losing the Euro 2021 final penalty shootout to Italy, he, like many other national teammates, fell into a slump.

Manchester United also lost the Europa League final on penalties, and Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s tenure eventually ended. In Solskjær’s last match before being dismissed, Maguire was sent off, and Manchester United suffered a 1-4 defeat. Maguire felt he had failed the manager, and his form continued to decline.

“I had just experienced two major final losses, one in the Euro penalty shootout and one in the Europa League penalty shootout. I probably didn’t handle these defeats very well,” Maguire said, “I think after the Euros, many England players were in a slump. But as Manchester United captain and as a center-back, you can’t tolerate that; you can’t coast along with poor form.”

Maguire continued: “Many things happened that season. Losing Solskjær was a very, very big loss, and I felt I bore a lot of responsibility because before Solskjær was dismissed, our performances weren’t good enough. The latter half of the season was a mess, truly awful. I was the captain, so I took on a lot of responsibility. The last six months of that season, we were completely chaotic. It wasn’t about Ralf ( Rangnick ), it was more about how we, as players and the whole team, handled things. I feel compared to how things are now under Michael, we didn’t handle it well enough under the interim manager before.”

Subsequently, manager Ten Hag changed Manchester United’s captain to Bruno Fernandes. Maguire admits he felt angry and disappointed about that decision at the time. However, Maguire did not sink further; instead, his form recovered somewhat.

He has a clear understanding of this: “When you are at the top level, unless you are a superstar or world-class player, you will always experience ups and downs, always face various problems to deal with. That’s why you see many players peak for two or three years, then fade away, move elsewhere, and vanish from the scene. To stay at the top level long-term, you must learn to handle fluctuations.”

Maguire takes Beckham and Rooney as examples: “I always refer to experiences of players like Beckham and Rooney, seeing how they overcame difficulties. They were both excellent world-class players, so if such things happened to them, then anyone could encounter such situations. I always kept a low profile. More importantly, I have full confidence in myself. I might be one of the best center-backs in both penalty areas in the world, there’s no doubt about that. I believe I am a top player, I firmly believe that. I think that’s precisely why I could persevere when facing difficulties.”

Maguire strongly believes Manchester United should challenge for the Premier League title next season, but he also says whether they can end their 13-year Premier League title drought will depend on the success of the summer transfer window. He urges the club’s senior management to invest heavily this summer to strengthen the team.

“Under Michael’s leadership, these past months have been like a dream for us,” Maguire said, “I feel the team now looks more and more like a strong squad. But this summer will be very important, really very important. We need more players, higher-level players, players who can directly enter the starting lineup.”

Manchester United spent £225 million last year to bring in four players, all now important to the team. Maguire believes they need to continue doing so this summer. “Looking at the current Premier League, I think over the past few years, clearly Manchester City is the benchmark; they are really hard to surpass. Before the season starts, you know you must strive for points to catch up with them. Next season, if we can do well in recruitment, everything goes smoothly from now until the end of the season, and we maintain this momentum, then Manchester United’s achievements will have no limits. We must become strong contenders for major trophies.”

Liverpool won the title last season with 84 points, and Arsenal this season are almost certain to get over 80 points. Manchester United currently trail the top by 15 points, with a 0% chance of winning the title. However, Maguire hopes to change that next season: “I want to win major trophies. I think that’s part of playing for Manchester United. I often say football is about memories; you can create memories through classic matches, goals, but ultimately, winning important trophies truly leaves beautiful memories. I want to be part of a championship-winning team; that’s every player’s dream.”