Harry Maguire Sets High Expectations for United's New Season
Harry Maguire has drawn a clear line in the sand for the new season: match – and better – the standard set under Michael Carrick.
Since Carrick stepped into the dugout, United have collected more Premier League points than at any other stage of last season. For Maguire, that statistic is not a pat on the back. It is the baseline.
“The most Premier League points since he joined, so that will be our aim this season,” the 33-year-old told the club’s media, tying United’s resurgence directly to the manager’s impact. The message behind the numbers is simple: this is now the expectation.
Carrick’s imprint and a harder edge
United’s upturn has come with a clear shift in approach, and Maguire knows the work is only just beginning. The defender spoke of a squad leaning into new ideas, new shapes, and a more demanding tactical framework.
“We will have new ideas and new ways of playing. There will be different tactics that the manager wants to see from us,” he said. United, in his eyes, were good in stretches last season, but nowhere near their ceiling. “We played well in a lot of games but could have played even better. We understand that as players.”
That admission matters. It hints at a dressing room that has stopped congratulating itself for narrow wins and started chasing control, consistency, and dominance. The groundwork for that, Maguire insists, has been laid over the summer.
“We've been working hard on that during pre-season, and I think you are going to see a lot better performances from us this season.”
World Cup omission becomes a turning point
Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave Maguire out of England’s World Cup squad might have felt like a personal setback at the time. In hindsight, it has become one of the quirks that shaped his year.
Freed from international duty, the centre-back enjoyed a full pre-season and then hit stride under Carrick. Since the turn of the year, no United player has won more Premier League duels than Maguire’s 44 – a hard, measurable sign of his resurgence at the heart of the defence.
That foundation has carried into this summer. While others returned later from international commitments, Maguire has been able to build steadily.
“I feel like you improve your fitness every week that goes by during pre-season. It's been nice to go straight into a 60-minute game and be able to build myself up,” he said. There is no drama in his assessment, just the calm of a player who knows his body and his rhythm.
“I am pleased with the way it's gone. As a team, I think we're in a really good position. We're all fit and looking strong.”
Now, the cavalry has returned. Those who went deep into World Cup duty are back in the fold, and the internal temperature of the squad has risen.
“It's great to have all the players back from the World Cup. It makes our squad even stronger and improves the competition for places and that is the way it should be at this club.”
Hull away and a brutal opening stretch
United’s season starts with a fixture loaded with subtext: an August 22 trip to newly-promoted Hull City, one of Maguire’s former clubs. Sentiment, though, will have to wait. The margin for error in this league rarely survives the first month.
Hull is followed by a run that will stress-test any talk of momentum and progress: Ipswich Town, Everton, Manchester City, and Fulham, all before the September international break. It is the kind of schedule that can launch a campaign or leave a team chasing shadows by autumn.
Maguire knows exactly which side of that line United must land on.
“In the Premier League, you always want a good start. You don't want to be playing catch-up in the Premier League because there are so many good teams,” he said. There was no attempt to downplay the grind of the division. “There are no given games. When you play against anyone, you've got to go out there and fight for the three points because you know the following week it is going to be just as tough, and that is part and parcel of the Premier League.”
The benchmark has been set: the highest points return since Carrick walked through the door. The question now is whether this United side can turn that brief surge into their new normal, starting on a demanding August afternoon in Hull.
