Maguire confident Man.Utd on course to compete for titles again

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire believes the Red Devils are on the right track towards contending for the Premier League title again. United have not won the league since Alex Ferguson retired as manager in 2013 and were a mammoth 37 points behind leaders Liverpool when the Premier League season was put on hold due to coronavirus last month.

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were on an 11-match unbeaten run before the shutdown with Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka beginning to repay the lavish sums spent on them last summer and January signing Bruno Fernandes making an immediate impact.

“I knew when I first came to Manchester United that Ole said to me loads and loads it’s a building process but we’ll be where we want to be.” Maguire told Sky Sports.

“There are plenty of aspects we need to improve to get to the top of where we want to be. We don’t want to be challenging for this Champions League spot, we want to be challenging for titles.

“We know there’s still a lot of improvement to get there, but we’re on the right track and I’m sure eventually we will get there.”

United sat fifth in the table when matches were suspended and still in the running for silverware in the FA Cup and Europa League.

Should the season be able to be completed in the coming months, Solskjaer’s options could be strengthened by the return from injury of Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba.

Pogba has been restricted to just eight appearances all season by a persistent ankle problem, but Maguire hopes the French World Cup winner and Fernandes can form a potent partnership in midfield.

“He’s been brilliant since he’s come in, off the field around the training ground, he’s a leader and wants to win, everything he does he wants to win, you can tell he’s been brought up with that attitude,” Maguire added on Fernandes.

“He’s just given us that little bit more life and creativity in the middle.

“We’ve got Paul to come back as well, who I’m sure will probably make himself (Fernandes) lift his game even more.

“We have a lot of competition in that centre midfield now, they know they have to be on their game to keep their spot, so I’m sure we’ll see the benefit.”

Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford has revealed that he would rather play out wide than through the middle for Manchester United.

The 22-year-old England international has been used in both roles by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season and has flourished regardless: scoring 19 goals in 31 appearances.

But he has said that he prefers playing out wide because it is easier to “disappear” when leading the line in a central position.

“When you are on the left, you can create a lot more things on your own, giving that little bit more to the team,” Rashford told UTD Podcast.

“Whereas when you are playing up front, sometimes you are isolated and need someone in midfield who can find passes for 90 minutes of a game, so you can disappear in games sometimes as a No.9.

“When I transitioned to a No.9 when I was younger, that’s the bit that I struggled with as I was always someone who wanted to express myself on the ball.

“When I started playing No.9, I realised that you don’t see the ball as often as you do in other positions, but when you do see the ball, it’s an opportunity to score goals.

“That’s what I loved about being a No.9 and that’s what I still love about it. But right now I’m enjoying having the freedom to mix between the two – and I think it suits us well at the moment as Anthony [Martial] likes to drift to the left and drop deep as well.

Agencies