Harry Maguire has revealed he was told by a Sheffield United manager he’d struggle to play for the first-team, whilst in their academy.
Harry Maguire said: “I can remember one of my first training sessions with the first team at Sheffield United. I don’t want to name the manager because I don’t want to put… I, I went to train, I thought I trained really really well, the reserve team manager there at the time was Mark Smith and he was brilliant with me. He was a big coach for me and I come off and he was oh you was brilliant there, well done and then as I was walking down the manager come up to me and went you were not good enough there if you don’t quicken your feet you’ll never play first-team football. It was a knockback at that time I think I must have been 16 17 so I did, I actually didn’t tell anyone about it. I didn’t tell my dad which probably should have back in the day but I just got on with it, did extra work on my footwork, it probably pushed me to be where I am today. My family is a big football family, two brothers always kicking each other in the garden, that’s where probably my first memories of football came in the garden digging the turf up and then, playing for Brumsmere the Sunday League team,” he added, reflecting on his upbringing. From there I went to Barnsley where they were in administration, I think at the time, so I ended up going to Sheffield United and obviously come through there. I built my way up and kept moving up the ladder and coming from the bottom to being the captain of Manchester United which is a proud moment.”
The England centre-back blossomed at Bramall Lane, before moving to Hull City in 2014. The life-long Blade has since established himself as Manchester United captain following an £80million move from Leicester City, whilst becoming a core member of the national team. Recalling his journey from Bramall Lane to Old Trafford, Maguire revealed he was once told by United’s manager that he had to “quicken his feet up” or he wouldn’t make the grade at first-team level, though didn’t name who made the comment.
