Harry Maguire was a surprise omission from England's World Cup squad this summer and is enjoying an extended summer break
Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire is enjoying an extended break while still following Man United's fitness programme
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Harry Maguire has revealed that Manchester United are keeping a close eye on players' fitness levels through detailed training schedules and GPS tracking, as the defender enjoys his lengthiest break in years. Maguire was a surprise omission from Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup squad.
Maguire made no attempt to conceal his disappointment at the time, taking to social media to make his feelings known. "I was confident I could have played a major part this summer for my country after the season I've had," he wrote.
"I've been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I've loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years. I wish the players, all the best this summer."
The 33-year-old missed a second consecutive major tournament, having previously been ruled out of Euro 2024 with a calf injury. When available and fit, he remained a consistent presence in United's starting line-up throughout last season.
United have made sure that players not involved in international action are following a structured programme to keep their fitness levels up, with every player also kitted out with a GPS tracker that feeds data back to the club.
Maguire revealed that players are due to report for pre-season training in the second week of July, with the defender enjoying the longest break of his career since making his first appearance for England.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, which is being recorded in New York, Maguire described what he referred to as an 'unusual' off-season.
"We are back in I think Wednesday - the 9th [of July]," he said. "This is the longest [break] I've had since I made my England debut. It's been nice, but it's been strange.
"I'll have had six-and-a-half-weeks off but then to be honest, the pre-season - I normally get about three weeks before the first game, this year I'm going to have six-and-a-half-weeks so I've got a long way to build up.
"Man United send you a schedule, they send you a GPS to make sure that you're doing it. Yeah, they keep on top of you."
Michael Carrick will take charge of his first pre-season as United's head coach, with the club set to play a string of friendlies across several European nations this summer. Fixtures are lined up in Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Republic of Ireland and Poland throughout July and August.
The tour gets under way on July 18th with a clash against Wrexham in Helsinki. United then head to Trondheim to take on Rosenborg on July 24th, before facing Atletico Madrid in Stockholm on August 1st.
Additional matches are scheduled against Paris Saint‐Germain in Gothenburg on August 8th, Leeds United at Dublin's Croke Park on August 12th, and AC Milan in Wroclaw on August 15th.
The Premier League campaign then springs into life shortly afterwards, with United kicking off their season on Saturday, August 22th, away to newly‐promoted Hull City in a 12:30pm start.