Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has said he is “part of the future” at the club and is confident he can help them challenge for major honours next season. The England international was the subject of intense transfer speculation last summer but ended up staying at Old Trafford, where he played 22 times in the Premier League.
Maguire was a late withdrawal from the FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley, having been ruled out through injury, and he also missed out on the European Championship, but he told Sky Sports News he is “looking forward to the future” at Old Trafford.
Asked if he wants to stay at Old Trafford, Maguire said: “Unless the club tells me I’m being put up for sale or they don’t want me here, I’m part of the club’s future. Everything I hear from the club and the way they’re acting towards me and the actions show I’m part of the future. So it’s time to push on, get this club back to success, to winning trophies, which is what Man Utd demands.”
Reflecting on the last few months of last season, Maguire described it as a “really tough time” in his career, but said he has emerged from the lows.
He said: “I worked hard throughout the whole year and wanted to be available for those big games at the end, first the FA Cup final and then the European Championship, to try and win something for my country. I felt I got myself into good physical and mental shape to be able to perform at the highest level and then I got injured and it was a really tough time for me to deal with that setback.”
He added that winning the FA Cup has given Manchester United a “real boost” to go on and achieve more in the coming season.
“There was a lot of talk about the manager in the week before the final. The media attention around him was pretty bad, but the way he handled it was commendable. It was an impressive experience, the lads performed well, the manager and his team played their part. Nobody knew what was going to happen going into the summer but now we know with Ludo (Van Gaal) and Rene (Hak) coming in. Everyone’s looking forward to this season and we hope to be successful.”
Manchester United start their pre-season tour in the United States with a match against Arsenal at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on July 28. They will then play Real Betis, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund before returning to England. They will face Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 10.
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