A grateful Harry Maguire is reflecting on the “real privilege”
of making 250 appearances for Manchester United, but aiming for much more to come.
The defender became the third member of the current squad to reach the major milestone, after captain Bruno Fernandes and long-term team-mate Luke Shaw.
At times, some outsiders have doubted whether the England international would reach such a figure, but his resilience in the face of such feelings has been truly admirable and he remains one of United’s key players in his seventh season at Old Trafford.
Maguire signed for United in 2019, and recalled the emotion of his debut — a 4-0 win over Chelsea on the Premier League’s opening weekend — in conversation with club media.
“It was an unbelievable feeling,”
Maguire said.
“I hadn’t been at the club for too long, I’d had five or six games of training and got thrown straight into the debut at Old Trafford, first Premier League game of the season, against Chelsea, all my family and friends in the stadium.
“It was an amazing day, one of the best days of my football career. Winning 4-0, it couldn’t have been more perfect.
“The atmosphere… I couldn’t believe how good it was and how impressed I was with everything about it. It was an unbelievable occasion for me and my family.”
Maguire didn’t miss a league game in that first season. He's played in five of our opening six fixtures in this new campaign. In the intervening period, he’s lifted the Carabao Cup as club captain, as well as the Emirates FA Cup a season later.
“To play that amount of games is a huge privilege,”
Maguire continued.
“The dream of a young kid, growing up in Sheffield, to play one game for Manchester United would have been a dream come true, but to play 250 I feel really lucky, really grateful. Hopefully [there’s] many more to come and some good memories to come along with it.”
Maguire also spoke warmly about Shaw, the only team-mate who’s been alongside Maguire since his arrival. Luke is closing in on 300 appearances for the club.
“You don’t play at this club 250 or 300 times if you’re first and foremost not a good player,”
Maguire explained.
“Luke’s an excellent footballer, and every manager that comes in, he gets questioned a lot. That’s what happens at this club.
“Every manager that comes in plays Luke, and there’s a reason why they play Luke, because he’s an excellent footballer, always has been and always will be.”