Manchester United defender Harry Maguire opens up about life at Old Trafford

Even for a top-level world-class footballer, sometimes mother is the best.

In September 2023, by his own admission, when Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was at his lowest ebb, subjected to abuse and taunts during England’s match against Scotland (“I came on, played really well, and then scored an own goal”), his mother Zoe took to social media.

She described her son’s treatment as “disgraceful and unacceptable.”

“I didn’t want her, but she just said: ‘I’m doing it! I’m not listening to you!'” a smiling Maguire said, speaking at length about his career so far and his hopes for the future to reporters at the club’s training camp in Maynooth, 20 miles outside Dublin.

“I think it probably hits your family a little bit more in those moments. They see what we’re going through and how hard it is.

“That may have been the lowest point, but it’s part of the journey.

“I wouldn’t change where I’ve been and what I’ve been through. It’s definitely made me stronger and gotten me to where I am today.”

It seems unfair to focus on the negatives.

Maguire, 33, feels he has performed really well in six of his seven seasons at Old Trafford.

“I still believe, even at my age, that I am one of the best defenders in the world in both boxes,” he said. “I don’t think it’s really in question as I can be really effective later in games, whether I’m holding on to the lead or trying to chase the game.”

However, the frankness and honesty with which he assessed his most difficult moments made it a clear area for investigation, 24 hours after it was confirmed that Maguire had signed a new contract that will give him an eighth season at the club, and possibly a ninth.

After all, this is the guy who was stripped of the captaincy by then-manager Erik ten Hag, and the club were prepared to sell him to West Ham two months before the Scotland match.

“Obviously your first feelings are anger and disappointment, and that’s normal,” he said of the captain’s call-up.

“But I always thought that unless you’re a superstar and a world-class player, you’re going to have ups and downs and things you have to deal with. That’s why you see a lot of players spend two or three years at the top, then they come down, go to a different country, and you don’t hear much about them again.”

“Wayne Rooney was here, one of the best players to ever play for this club, and he had a lot of mistakes at times when he wasn’t in good form. I always looked forward to the experience with players like Wayne and David Beckham and how they overcame that.”

“I’ve kept my head down. I have a lot of confidence in myself, and most importantly I’m a great player. That’s what helps me when things are tough.”

Clearly, strength of mind is a positive personality trait.

Maguire accepts it has been bumpy at times.

He did not go so far as to say that he benefited from being stripped of the captaincy, but admitted that “the level returned” after that happened. He added: “I think the level would have returned whether I was captain or not.”

However, he admits that not everyone will have the mental strength to navigate his path.

“Probably yes,” he said when asked if that would break most players.

“I think there will be a lot of people who want to close the book and go somewhere else and resume their career. I think that broke them a little early. It got to the point of ridicule and abuse — if you want to call it abuse — that there was only one way things could go.”