I will admit something before I write this article: in 2023, I was in support of Harry Maguire leaving Manchester United. For his own benefit as much as for the club. The poor guy was cursed. Mistakes and bad fortune seemed to follow him around the pitch, and he was being hounded by the media and by fans alike.
I could see that he wasn’t a bad egg, but I could also see that, for whatever reason, life in a Man United shirt wasn’t suiting him anymore. Better for both parties if he moved on.
How wrong was I?
Maguire showed everyone the meaning of the word professionalism over the following years. He remained dedicated to the club, and demonstrated an elite mentality for everyone to see. He is the definition of resilience.
There was plenty said about Harry when things weren’t going well for him, so now he is back in favour and has been rewarded with another one year contract, I wanted to do a bit of an appreciation post. He’s never been a flashy player, he’s an old fashioned get your head down and get on with it type of guy. This means it’s easy not to notice all the great qualities he brings, so let’s rectify that shall we.
Stripped of Captain’s Armband
Signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for a record £80 million in 2019, Harry became team captain roughly six months later. Solid in the back line, with a leader’s mentality – he was an obvious choice.
But things began to fall apart for Maguire after Solskjaer left and Ralf Rangnick tried to move towards a more proactive pressing game that simply didn’t suit him. Maguire is at his best when the game is in front of him, not when he is being dragged into wide spaces or left chasing runners into the channels. As mistakes became more common and the results dropped off, the weight of being a record signing and club captain got heavier.
Fairly or unfairly, Maguire became a sort of symbol of United’s decline.
Under Erik ten Hag, Maguire lost his place in the team, with Varane and Martinez being the first choice options and Lindelöf first choice back up. Harry was relegated to being a squad player, starting just 8 Premier League games in 2022/23. He couldn’t be team captain if he hardly ever played, so eventually, ten Hag stripped him of his captaincy and gave it to Bruno instead.
It had been one thing after another for Harry. Mounting pressure, a slow, toxic build up of negativity surrounding him. Abuse online like no player had suffered before. Even a bomb threat against his family.
How did he handle it? He accepted the decision and came out publicly in support of Bruno as captain, vowing to continue to give his all every time he pulled on the shirt. He fought for his place. He could have asked to leave, he could have bailed when West Ham came in for him, but he didn’t. He stuck it out, he continued to show leadership on and off the field, and for Michael Carrick, he started 14 of 16 games in the 2025/26 season, pulling out solid 7/10 performances across the board.
Harry Maguire has been mocked, doubted, dropped, stripped of the captaincy, pushed down the pecking order, recalled, written off again, and still he carries himself like a senior professional. He never complained. He stuck with United, and he was there when we needed him.
Left Out Of The England Squad
Many people thought Harry Maguire had done enough to be selected for England’s 2026 World Cup squad. Sadly for Harry, Thomas Tuchel was not one of them.
What’s more, at 33 years old, it was likely his last chance to represent his country.
Maguire released a statement expressing shock and disappointment, but crucially, he said it had been an honour to wear the shirt and wished all the players well. It felt a bit like an international retirement statement to me. He knows he’s unlikely to be called up in the future, but won’t take himself out of the running by officially retiring, so he posted this:
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He was the first and only player to issue a statement before the official squad announcement.
Some people have suggested this shows he has a massive ego. For me, I see a player who is genuinely gutted and wants to control the narrative. Given what he has been through in the past, I completely understand this.
It’s not a moan, it’s not an attack, it’s a simple, honest, courteous and, frankly, classy statement that allows the player to express his emotions in a way that they control.
For me, Harry Maguire has shown once again what it means to be a top professional, and players with a mentality like his can only be good for Manchester United.
We can’t wait to see you next season, Harry.