Manchester United’s club captain Harry Maguire has shared an insight into the dressing room after a run of poor performances.
Harry Maguire said: “I’m the captain and leader in the dressing room, and I’ve had private conversations with the players and the management which will remain private. Make no mistake about it, I’m here for the fight and I know my team-mates are. I expect them to be and if they’re not then – like I said – there’s something wrong. We have a big squad. Of course, not all players will always be happy as they are not playing but that’s football and we all have to remain professional. We are all angry and want to do our best, which has probably come across on the pitch at times. But the team spirit is good, despite what people say. Being a professional footballer, you have to take criticism on the chin and react well to it. At the same time, you have to ignore the outside noise sometimes and just get your head down [in training]. We know if we can put together a run of results then everything else takes care of itself.”
Manchester Evening News understands a number of the players are growing ‘sick to death’ of the dwindling standards at the club, while there remain fringe players deeply unhappy with their lack of minutes. Maguire is not concerned about the motivation of any of his team-mates but adds that any player should want to perform for the club.
Harry Maguire added: “I know what you’re saying and sometimes it can be good to have the ‘us against the world’ mentality. I know a lot was written about Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams and the way he used that to spur his players on. He obviously did that brilliantly. I’ve obviously seen a lot of criticism, and a lot of is absolutely justified. But for me, with this team, it shouldn’t need criticism to motivate players. If players of this quality aren’t motivated to play for this club when they pull the shirt on, then there’s something wrong.”
