Harry Maguire says he still enjoys playing with Andre Onana and is looking forward to teaming up with the keeper again on Thursday, as Manchester United get set to host Lyon at Old Trafford.
United will take on Lyon in the return leg of their quarter-final tie. The aggregate score currently stands at 2-2 from the first game and the stakes could not be higher.
The Red Devils have endured a wretched season but there is still a chance to salvage some lost pride by winning the Europa League and in the process, qualify for the Champions League.
Maguire accompanied Ruben Amorim to the pre-match press conference and looked ahead to the contest with Lyon. The England international backed Onana, who has endured a difficult few days following his error-prone display at the Groupama Stadium last week.
Onana was at fault for both goals United conceded and was subsequently dropped from Sunday’s 4-1 defeat at Newcastle. However, Amorim told reporters that the Cameroonian will start in the second leg.
Maguire said about this, “I think first and foremost, Andre has proved in the past that he is an excellent goalkeeper. He has won numerous trophies. But you always have spells in your career where you have ups and downs.”
“At the moment, he is probably feeling that everything is going against him. Playing in front of Andre is great; I have confidence in Andre. We all know he is an excellent goalkeeper.”
The defender continued, “Try your best to ignore it all [the spotlight], focus on your job, come in on a daily basis and do your best. That is all you can do. Tomorrow night is another game of football and you have to say to yourself, ‘Do your best and that’s all you can do. ‘ I have been in that situation myself.”
“All you can do, day in, day out, is do your best and work as hard as possible.”
Maguire emphasised the importance of winning the Europa League as he admitted that performances have picked up a bit too late in the season.
“Obviously it has been a disappointing season, there is no doubt about it. From the start of the season, we have been far too inconsistent. I think performances have picked up late. A lot of games have been 50-50 and we have ended up on the bad end of the result. Tomorrow night is a big game for us and it is one I am looking forward to it.”
“Winning a trophy would be massive and it gives us access to the Champions League for next season. This is the only competition that we are left in and tomorrow night, we are looking forward to it.”
United vs. Lyon kicks off at 20:00 BST.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
