Football Daily - BONUS: The Harry Maguire interview

Episode Date: February 28, 2025

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire chats with BBC Sport's Kelly Somers to discuss manager Ruben Amorim's tactics, his relationship with captain Bruno Fernandes and how the squad deals with heavy criticism

BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. The Football Daily Podcast, in focus. Well, Harry, it's never dull, is it, being a Manchester United player, but it feels like with the way the last two games have gone, that's even more the case. Do you feel that's a fair comment? Yeah, definitely. I think it's been obviously a difficult season.

No doubt about it. I think our Premier League form has been poor. We haven't performed well enough, not consistent. There's been some good moments in the Cubs. We've played a lot better. But yeah, the last two games have pretty much summed up the season. Obviously, 2-0 down, poor first half, get back and come back, and then another rollercoaster of a game at Old Trafford the other night against Ipswich. So positive to get the win and hopefully we can move forward now. Let's focus specifically on the last two matches. As you said, there's plenty of room for improvement, but what can you take from the way you came back in those games? I think we can take that we're fighting, there's a lot of spirit in the squad, togetherness

and I think a lot of people question that squad, togetherness and I think a lot of people questioned that over the period that we've had a difficult period and now I think you can see over the last couple of games that we're still fighting for one another, we're still fighting for the badge and at the moment it hasn't been going to plan but yeah I think the second half against Ipswich we had to show a different side to us and dig in and we really needed the three points just to move up the table and just to get our own form back on track a little bit and we managed to do so. You've been here for around six years now, do you think some of those comments

about the fact that maybe you haven't fought enough about the mentality have sometimes been fair? Well I think everyone's got an opinion on this club and everyone's has a right to view their opinion. Some I disagree with, some I agree with. I think it's part and parcel of football and part and parcel of playing for this club that when you lose football matches, people speak about it. A lot of scrutiny comes our way, but that's part of playing for this club. Like you say, I've been here for six years now, so I'm pretty used to that.

Don't worry, we're not going to talk about the last couple of games without mentioning your goal. I know every player enjoys a goal, but it looked like you especially enjoyed it. Talk us through the emotion of that win at Winnem. No, I felt like it was a real big goal in terms of the game. We conceded just before half time, I mean, just going down to 10 men and it was a bad goal to concede, to be honest. And then we went in the dressing room, was a little bit flat in the dressing room. We knew the second half wascede to be honest. And then we went in the dressing room, it was a little bit flat in the dressing room.

We knew the second half was going to be tough. Ten men with the situation that we're in playing at Old Trafford. And to get it just after half time, I think it was a big goal. So it gave us the energy and the belief that we could go and win the game. And then I think it pretty much determined how we set up in that second half and played.

We didn't play great with the ball but we were really solid without the ball and the lads put in a good shape. You mentioned that it was flat in the dressing room as one of the senior players when you sense that mood in there do you kind of take it upon yourself to think I need to change the feeling around here I need to change the way this is going? Yeah definitely the manager spoke and he spoke that We still have great belief that we're in the game and we can win the game. Of course it was flat. We two went up in the game and we were playing well. We were controlling the game really well. I felt like there were 30 minutes of the first half where it was probably our best football we've played, controlling the game, creating chances, and to lose a man, which we've done far too much this season,

make it difficult for ourselves. So it was going to be flat when we first walked in, but yeah, of course, a senior player now on the team, I have a role and responsibility to perform myself, but also to make sure the team picks themselves up and go out and be ready for that second half. You scoring big goals for Manchester United, I'm not saying it's become a habit, but it's something you have done before as well. Is that something that you want to do more of? Is that something that you see as being quite key for this team? Yeah, definitely. I think everyone knows at the moment we are struggling to score goals,

to win football matches on a consistent basis. It's something that I've done throughout my career. It's something that I've always throughout my career it's something that I've always worked on but also put a lot of demand on myself that I help the lads in an attacking threat in the opposition box. Thankfully obviously I did it in the last cup game against Leicester in the last minute and I've done it again against Ipswich but yeah of course it's something that someone who I believe is good at attacking a ball in the air in the size, I mean I should be I should be scoring and contributing goals and it's always nice to get the winner. Bruno is captain now taking over from yourself what's the relationship like between the two of you because I saw you being interviewed post-match

and it seems like you're very much together. No, I think me and Bruno have a great relationship. When I was captain, he supported me brilliant. I trust him so much and I'm sure he trusts me as well. Now, obviously he's captain and it doesn't really, obviously we both see ourselves as leaders. When I was captain, I felt like Bruno was a leader in his own right as well and I trusted his opinion and we worked off each other and I think it's the same. Now he's captain as leaders. When I was captain I felt like Bruno was a leader in his own right as well and I trusted his opinion and we worked off each other and I think it's the same now he's captain as well. We have a great relationship. He's a fantastic player and a great lad to

have in the dressing room so yeah, we have a good relationship. When the manager came in he talked about needing more leaders, people to step up. Who are the leaders in this squad? I think we have a lot of leaders. I think obviously we've got Casemiro, won everything, great leader, good attitude. Bruno himself, myself. We have a lot of senior players, Tom Eaton, Johnny Evans. We have a lot of senior players who have won a lot of things at the moment. We know it's a difficult period and that's when we, as senior and older players, we've got to take the responsibility on and step up. You talked there about the responsibility and you've actually already mentioned it, that when you are one of the senior players

at Manchester United you know the scrutiny that comes with, not only from the fans but media and ex-players as well. What's that like for you when you come off the pitch and you hear some of the comments? I think for myself, being here six years, it's the normal now. I have a lot of experience to know how to deal with it individually, so it's more about looking after others now at my stage of my career and making sure the others understand that in football there's always another chance, there's always a time to prove someone wrong and you can only do your talking on the pitch and I think that's the most important thing that you come in day in day out, you do everything you can and you give everything on the pitch and that's all you can do. How do you do that? How do you guide some of the younger players and what kind of leader are you? I put my arm around them, I tell them, I give them advice and yeah I've been

through a lot of this club and so as the players who's been here a long time, Bruno, there's numerous players who's been here a long time but yeah I think I always say that this club you're gonna be, you can be the best player in the world at one stage and then next minute you're gonna be shot down and they've got to be ready for both of them scenarios but the most important thing is just to stay level-headed and not get too involved with it all and that's whether you're winning or losing. Football Daily every Sunday. As we look back at all the action from the weekend. From expert analysis. They need to compete. That's your responsibility.

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You mentioned the criticism that you've had personally. A lot of it has felt at times like it's overstepped the line. Do you feel that way too? Like I said, this is Manchester United and I had a year where I wasn't performing to what I could produce. My performances over six years, I think probably four or five of them has been pretty good and pretty consistent. So no, I had a bad year and when you have a bad year at this club, people jump on you and make a big thing of it and I held responsibility in that because it was a year where I wasn't happy with my performance and I got my head down, worked hard and I've got my performances back to where they were. I've heard so many

interviews where you've said you've just worked hard on that but it must affect you mentally, personally. How have you gone from with many people potentially saying that you were going to leave this football club to doing what you do on Wednesday night to stepping up scoring big goals, how do you go from there to there? I know I keep saying it and it's probably a little bit cliche but it is literally just, I have great belief in myself, past experience does help, I've played 60 odd times for my country. Do you have to refer back to that quite a lot?

Yeah I think you do, when you're going through the difficult period, a couple of years ago when I did, I think when you look back at what I did for my country and playing three major tournaments, going team of the tournaments. So yeah, I think there's times where you want to look back and get that belief and that confidence through past experience. I think it's probably tougher for the younger boys who are in the scenario earlier on in the careers but like I said there's always light at the end of the tunnel and things always change and you've just got to do that yourself. Do you feel like sometimes maybe you're a bit underappreciated? Honestly I don't really look at my status or I'm sure when I finish my career I'll

be really proud of what I've done in my career but yeah I don't really look too much at my status I'm really a level-headed and when I'm playing well I stay the same and when I'm playing bad I stay the same I just come in and try and do my best. What about Manchester United here and now then we've spoken about leadership, mentality, tactics it's spoken about a lot we know the way Ruben Amerin wants you guys to play. Can this group of players achieve that? Yeah, I think this group of players, of course,

we believe in Ruben's tactics. I think obviously we probably do need additions and I'm sure there will be additions to the squad. We can't hide away from that. If we want to get this club back to winning titles, there's going to need to be additions to help the squad. But for sure, I think tactics is obviously a big thing.

What gets spoken about just because of the system that we've changed and played. I think if you actually analyse our games, there's times where we're a back four, there's times where we're a back three, there's times where we're a back five. And I think in football generally, I think that's what happens nowadays. I don't think when you put a team sheet out there and it says a back four, there's plenty of times in that game where there'll be a back three or a back five as well. But yeah we have great belief in Ruben and his tactics and all his coaches that he's brought in that we can be successful for this club. What's it been like having such a big change in terms of the way you play as well as having a new manager mid-season for the players?

Yeah I think when he first came in obviously it was really refreshing. His ideas, his energy and obviously the results we just haven't really picked the results of that we needed to really but for sure the belief still there. We know that we can improve as players. There's been games where we feel that we deserve a little bit more in the games and there's been games where we've gone down to 10 men. Obviously Ipswich, Wolves, Arsenal, there's been games where we've lost players and it's made it difficult for us. But yeah, like I said, we have great belief in his methods and

the way that he works and the energies that he's brought to the team that we can be successful. I'm going to ask you about the manager now. Don't just tell me he's great because I know you're going to say that. What's he been like for you to work with? Personally, he's given me great belief and confidence to go out and play and express myself and the main thing I'd say is he's given me the belief and confidence to go out and play my best football really.

Is he the man to get back to winning trophies you've already mentioned that's what Manchester United need to do? Yeah I believe so I think with the right structure and players in his team there's no doubt that he's proved it at sporting that his team and his system works and his system wins football matches and wins trophies so it's down to the players now to bide into it, make sure that you're in his plans for the long term and where he sees this club going. FA Cup this weekend, when you look back on last season, just how important was lifting that trophy at Wembley in May? Playing for this club, it demands trophies and we haven't been near the Premier League

in the last few years. I think under Olly probably was the time where we was the closest. So you've got to win trophies. It was important last year given everything that's happened since and the way the league is going, just how important is this competition this year? Massive. No doubt about it. There's the Europa League. I think you see where we are in the Premier League now. In terms of achievements that we can make in the Premier League, I think it's going to be tough in terms of reaching Europe so the FA Cup is a big opportunity for us, the Europa League is a big opportunity for us

so of course we'll be taking them extremely serious. I was going to say do those two competitions now kind of have to be your focus? Well I think like you say I don't think we can just focus on those two because if we underperform in the Premier League the pressure and the scrutiny will come straight on us again. When you play for this club, every game is so big and so important. So we need to win games in the Premier League to build confidence, to build belief. But of course, the competitions now are the positions where we can go and win a trophy and we'll be taking them really soon.

You've spoken a lot about the scrutiny and people that talk about Manchester United. The manager's been incredibly honest with the media since he's come in. He's talked at times about potentially being in a relegation battle. We also spoke about this being one of the worst Manchester United teams in recent history. What has that been like for the players? Have you almost taken that as inspiration? You want to prove him wrong and that those statements aren't true? No, of course he is an honest man. He speaks to the media really honest and he speaks to us really honest as well. So he's straight to the point.

We have inspiration. We play for Manchester United. This is a, if you don't play, if you don't have inspiration or inspired to play for this club, then you shouldn't be here. So the quotes obviously are his quotes and his thoughts and his opinion but I think our inspiration comes from other things rather than quotes from the manager. How far away are Manchester United from where they need to be?

Well I think I can't sit here and say we're close because where we are in the Premier League 14th, I don't even like looking at the table if I'm being honest. So there needs a lot of improvement to be made. I think we can see a bit of improvement over the last couple of months, but we still need a lot of improvement to get back to where we want to be.