Maguire thriving on the pressure
Manchester United's Harry Maguire believes he has enough experience to handle the responsibility that comes with captaining the Reds.
The England international only joined the club last summer, reportedly becoming the world's most expensive defender in the process, but took on the armband on a permanent basis when Ashley Young departed for Inter Milan in January.
He joined legendary former skipper Bryan Robson in our latest UTD Podcast, which is being released on Monday evening.
Maguire broke into the Sheffield United team as a teenager and had to contend with the team being relegated to League One in 2011.
After joining Hull City, he gained more experience on loan at Wigan Athletic, and came on as a substitute during the play-off victory against Sheffield Wednesday in 2016. Despite his impressive performances, the Tigers were unable to avoid the drop a year later and he switched to Leicester City.
It all adds up to a vast array of highs and lows for the centre-back, which he feels has stood him in good stead for the pressure-cooker life of representing one of the biggest clubs in the world.
When asked if the transfer fee and pressure that comes with it, which has been intensified since he took over the captaincy, is something he thinks about, Maguire replied: "Generally, I wouldn’t say so, no. I think, when I joined United, I was 26. I felt like I was an experienced player.
“I’ve been through so much in my career already – I’ve had promotions, relegations, played under numerous managers, managers being sacked, playing under caretakers. I feel like I’ve done an awful amount which I’ve learned an awful lot from.
“Obviously there’s pressure, there’s pressure whether I sign on a free transfer or whether I sign for a world-record fee.
“Playing for Manchester United, there’s pressure on you to play well in every game. Playing for any club there is. Footballers, that’s what we thrive off. The bigger the game, the more I like it. I feel like I thrive off pressure, I like the big games and I want to be involved in big games, that’s why I joined this club.
Maguire and Robson also pick their six-a-side teams made up of Reds captains over the years and discuss a variety of topics.
You can listen to this episode and more from UTD Podcast, including extraordinary interviews with the likes of Patrice Evra and Eric Cantona.
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