“A big, big loss”: United ace admits his role in ex-manager’s sacking in tell-all interview

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has spoken candidly about his lowest moment at the club, revealing shocking details of his struggle and subsequent resurgence to become the key player he is today. Redemption Having joined United in 2019 for £80m from Leicester City, a world-record fee for a defender, Maguire arrived with plenty of expectations. The early stages of his United career were positive, but things soon spiralled out of control as his performances dropped off. Towards the end of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s spell and Ralf Rangnick’s tenure, Maguire was widely seen as the symbol of everything that was wrong with the club. His mistake-strewn displays led him to almost become a figure of ridicule and mockery, not only from rival fans, but also from some United critics and the media. In September 2023, he appeared as a substitute in England’s match against Scotland, where his every touch was sarcastically cheered by the Scotland supporters. Slightly over a week before, he received the same treatment during United’s 3-1 loss to Arsenal. Fast forward to today, and Maguire is one of United’s most consistent players, having performed at a high level for the last two and a half years. The culmination of his fairytale redemption story was his recent contract extension, which is set to keep him at Old Trafford at least until 2027. Speaking to The Sun, he opened up about his previous struggles, the effect they had on his family, his feeling that he’d let Solskjær down and his England hopes. Candid interview Recalling the Scotland game, Maguire remarked, “I came on, played really well, scored an own goal. I think again it probably just does affect the family a little bit more. My mum put something out. I didn’t want her to but she just said, ‘I’m doing it! I’m not listening to you!’” “I think it got to a point where it got really that low, the mocking and the abuse – if you want to call it abuse – that there was only one way it could go. When I started getting cheered on the ball I think that’s probably the lowest point. Then when it got to that stage I felt like everyone started to kick me back up again.” “That was probably the time after that, I feel like you start to feel a little bit of it turning around and not many people jumping on.” The 33-year-old continued, “I wouldn’t change where I’ve been and what I’ve been through. It’s definitely made me stronger and where I am today. There’ll be a lot who want to maybe just close the book and go elsewhere and restart their career. It’s probably broken them a little bit earlier.” “I’d say [the criticism] is the hardest part, not just for myself but everybody in the squad. Some people might read a lot of it, some people don’t. Some people it doesn’t affect and some people it will affect a lot.” “I see a lot of players come into this club and quite frankly it’s just too big for them. The eyes on, the scrutiny, the analysis. Every goal that goes in, it’s someone’s fault. There’s going to be ex-players speaking about it.” “That’s just part and parcel of playing for this club. I do believe the family [suffers] because I didn’t suffer too much with it.” Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021 after a chastening 4-1 loss to Watford. Maguire was sent off in that game. On the Norwegian coach’s exit, Maguire confessed, “Losing Ole was a big, big loss. I felt a lot of responsibility for that as performances leading up to Ole losing his job weren’t good enough for what required for Ole himself. The back end of the season was a mess really. It really was a mess. I was the captain and I took a lot of brunt for it, but it was a mess.” “We were all over the place, the back six months of that season. And it wasn’t to do with Ralf (Rangnick), it was more to do with how us as players and as a squad handled it. We didn’t handle it as well as we should have with an interim manager coming in compared to how we’ve handled it this time under Michael (Carrick).” Maguire clarified, “You see how it can happen at Spurs at the moment with interim managers coming in. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t. We didn’t handle it well enough.” On being somewhat scapegoated for United’s woes, Maguire said, “Sometimes it did cross my mind at the time, just thinking ‘Why?’ I don’t know why it has done this. I don’t know where it’s come from. I can understand a couple of bad performances and a few mistakes here and there.” “My form dipped a little bit, yeah, of course. Everyone does that in their career. But I was in a situation where I was just a lad from Sheffield playing for such a huge club and captain.” “In the moment, I just thought this is what happens. This is the normality of being Manchester United captain and I’d been an £80m defender and all those things added up. But when you look back, it probably did go a little bit too far.” “Of course, in 2018 when I was at Leicester and there was a three or four-year period where I felt like I was one of the best centre backs in the world. I was definitely in the conversation. That’s how strongly I felt about my game in that period. I played in the World Cup, then played again in the Euros. I was in the team of the tournament.” “At the time I can remember thinking I just don’t know how this has really happened, I don’t know how it’s changed so quickly.” At the height of Maguire’s slump in July 2023, Ten Hag stripped him of the captaincy and handed it to Bruno Fernandes. Maguire seemed destined to leave United, with the club accepting West Ham’s offer for him. However, he chose to remain and fight for his place. On losing the armband, Maguire told The Sun, “Obviously your first emotion is anger and disappointment. That’s natural, but I always thought when you play at the top level, unless you are one of the superstars and a world, world-class player, you have ups and downs and you have things that you have to deal with.” “And that’s why you see so many players have two or three years at the top, then they drop off and they wander off and go into a different country and you don’t hear too much about them again. I have great self-belief, more importantly, that I’m a top player and I believe that. I think that’s what helps me when things are tough.” Now, Maguire believes that he is “one of the best defenders in the world in both boxes.” This is an asset he is confident will come in handy for England during this summer’s World Cup, irrespective of whether he is starting games or coming on as a substitute. He expressed confidence that he can contribute meaningfully to England’s bid to win football’s most prestigious prize. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Derick Kinoti Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the Premier League extensively for years. His work blends sharp analysis, tactical insight, and engaging storytelling that resonates with fans around the world. Derick has gained valuable experience in football journalism, developing strong expertise in SEO writing, digital content creation, and social media engagement. A tech enthusiast with a Computer Science degree from the University of Nairobi, he ultimately swapped code for football commentary, bringing an analytical, detail-oriented approach to his writing. 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