Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim believes Harry Maguire should be considered for an England recall.
Our no.5 has been a standout perform for the Reds in recent weeks, notably netting two winners against Leicester City (in the FA Cup) and Ipswich Town recently.
Harry has been selected largely as the central centre-back in Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system and seems to be finding his feet within the tactical set-up.
Our head coach discussed Maguire's plan to continue playing for the Three Lions, and more, in the second part of his pre-match press conference ahead of Fulham's visit tomorrow.
Scroll down to read the full quotes from the boss...
Hi Ruben, when you arrived, you said you have the capability of being ruthless. Do you feel you have had to be more ruthless than you anticipated and will you have to show that characteristic to move the team to where you want it to be?
Come the end of the season, whatever you do for the remaining two or three months, you’re going to have to show a ruthless side at the end of the season because it does need changes, by your own admission. Which does mean, for some of them, it’s going to be: ‘Sorry mate, on your bike’…
“We can talk about that in the end [of the season] because it’s hard… we have a lot of games still to play and talk about and but that is clear. And I think that is not a difficult situation because everybody understands that in football, sometimes you stay, sometimes you have to move on. If you know how to explain it, for me, it is easy. If I know how to explain, I can do it and I like to do it because I want to be clear. When I was a player also, because I like to use all that experience. When you are honest with someone, in the beginning it is hard, but they will understand. So, I’m quite honest with my players and they already know that sometimes they have to move on at the end of the season.”
“It’s a balance of everything. If the team is trying and I understand they are trying but cannot do it, I am not ruthless. I don’t like to be like that just to be, or to show strength. I just understand and I have the feeling [of] what I’m seeing. You can have two similar situations but the context is completely different. I’m trying to understand everything in my team to help them to be better. But when I feel it’s something that is going to harm the team, I’m quite ruthless because I know for sure we are not going to win with certain behaviours. So, I’m trying to make a balance of everything and just help the team.”
Come the end of the season, whatever you do for the remaining two or three months, you’re going to have to show a ruthless side at the end of the season because it does need changes, by your own admission. Which does mean, for some of them, it’s going to be: ‘Sorry mate, on your bike’…
“We can talk about that in the end [of the season] because it’s hard… we have a lot of games still to play and talk about and but that is clear. And I think that is not a difficult situation because everybody understands that in football, sometimes you stay, sometimes you have to move on. If you know how to explain it, for me, it is easy. If I know how to explain, I can do it and I like to do it because I want to be clear. When I was a player also, because I like to use all that experience. When you are honest with someone, in the beginning it is hard, but they will understand. So, I’m quite honest with my players and they already know that sometimes they have to move on at the end of the season.”
You’re obviously learning a lot about these players, what have you learnt about yourself being at Man United? Are you a better manager, are you a different manager from the guy that first walked through the door? How have you changed?
When you’ve worked inside the club for three months, you obviously get a very clear picture of what needs to be done. But the picture that was presented to you before you came to the club, was that a genuine one? Were the owners honest with you about not just the strength of the team but the position of the club financially?
“That is hard… I knew the situation but then it’s hard because your procession in the same situation as me can be different so it’s hard to say if they are honest or not. I felt they were honest, but I need to see things and feel things myself. So, it’s always a different opinion in that matter. I knew the situation, I knew that it was a risk but we are surviving and doing everything. I think today is really hard, I know, but this is going to help us in the future, I hope. So, we will see.”
“Better? It’s hard to say because I’m not winning games so I don’t feel like a better coach. In three months here, I lived certain things [that mean] I’m a more complete manager, because sometimes you need to lose and be in a poor situation to grow. And I felt that during these three months. I’m not going to die if I lose three games in a row, that’s something I learned here, and I can cope and maintain the energy. So, I’m learning a lot about myself and the players but I prefer to win games, that is clear.”
When you’ve worked inside the club for three months, you obviously get a very clear picture of what needs to be done. But the picture that was presented to you before you came to the club, was that a genuine one? Were the owners honest with you about not just the strength of the team but the position of the club financially?
“That is hard… I knew the situation but then it’s hard because your procession in the same situation as me can be different so it’s hard to say if they are honest or not. I felt they were honest, but I need to see things and feel things myself. So, it’s always a different opinion in that matter. I knew the situation, I knew that it was a risk but we are surviving and doing everything. I think today is really hard, I know, but this is going to help us in the future, I hope. So, we will see.”
There is a lot of negativity around the club, but is there anything positive you can offer the fans going forward?
Can I ask you about Harry Maguire: do you think his form is good enough to be considered by England? And would you like him to be called up by England or do you think he needs a rest when the international break comes?
“If it’s enough is with the national coach. I would be really happy for him, I think he deserves [it]. He is a great guy, I think he needs to still improve because when you are a player you can improve every time and improve a lot of things. But I think his performances in the moment are quite good and you feel he is more a leader now that can help a national team, so I hope he is in the national team in the next games.”
“I see a clear path and I see that from the board also. They are doing difficult changes, they are not popular, but they are doing [them] because they have a vision. I think that is clear. But in the future, we need to show some results because you can do a lot of changes but if you don’t have results, people don’t feel confidence and happy. That is winning games. I think the good thing is we have a clear path, now is hard but we are doing things to achieve success in the future.”
Can I ask you about Harry Maguire: do you think his form is good enough to be considered by England? And would you like him to be called up by England or do you think he needs a rest when the international break comes?
“If it’s enough is with the national coach. I would be really happy for him, I think he deserves [it]. He is a great guy, I think he needs to still improve because when you are a player you can improve every time and improve a lot of things. But I think his performances in the moment are quite good and you feel he is more a leader now that can help a national team, so I hope he is in the national team in the next games.”