Fresh off an unbeaten Premier League Summer Series preseason tour, Manchester United veteran Harry Maguire says the team can have no excuses as they seek to improve on a disastrous campaign.
Last season’s 15th place team participated in the Premier League Summer Series last week, taking on West Ham United, Bournemouth and Everton across three U.S. cities. The Red Devils won their opening two games, but drew the final game against Everton.
Optimism has been high as a result of a solid pre-season campaign but, fresh off the back of a poor season and defeat in the Europa League final, fans are demanding huge improvements this year and Maguire admitted United can no longer hide behind external factors this year.
“I just want to be part of a successful team this season. I think last season was a tough season for everyone individually, but also as a team, as a squad, as a club. This season, there are no excuses. We’re going to have a lot of time to prepare for the Premier League games, and we’ve got to make sure we’re ready,” Maguire said in a club interview.
One excuse often given for United’s struggles last season was a mid-season change of manager and a lack of time to adapt to Ruben Amorim’s methods.
“It’s something that [Amorim] reiterated, that we didn’t have enough time on the training pitch,” Maguire continued. “This pre-season, it’s been tough on the legs, but the majority of it has been tactical.
“So, it’s nice to do the drills that are tactical rather than running around poles and running around the pitch. It’s been an enjoyable pre-season, but a pre-season that we’ve all learnt from. We know the system a lot better, and we’ve just got to take that into the games now.”
Man Utd looked more in tune with the manager’s philosophy in their 4–1 victory over Bournemouth in Chicago, though the same defensive woes that plagued the Red Devils last season reared their head in a draw against Everton to close out the U.S. tour.
Man Utd have one more pre-season fixture, a game at Old Trafford against Fiorentina and old friend David De Gea, before kicking off their season against rival Arsenal—a game that has extra eyeballs on it not just because of the bitter rivalry between two of England’s biggest clubs, but because it should be the first competitive game for Amorim’s former striker, Viktor Gyökeres, in an Arsenal shirt.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘No Excuses’—Harry Maguire Sets Strong Man Utd Season Expectations.