At United scrutiny just comes and comes: Maguire
ByShahid Judge
May 29, 2025 09:20 PM IST
Manchester United faced boos after a 1-0 loss in Kuala Lumpur, reflecting their worst season since 1974. Players accept criticism, seeking stability.
Mumbai: To the resounding sound of boos, Manchester United walked off the pitch at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. This was an unexpected reception meted out to one of the most popular clubs in the world, that had travelled to Malaysia for an exhibition game against a South East Asia XI.
Manchester United players Harry Maguire during a meet-and-greet session with fans at Cooperage Football Ground in Mumbai, Thursday. (PTI)
Manchester United players Harry Maguire during a meet-and-greet session with fans at Cooperage Football Ground in Mumbai, Thursday. (PTI)
But then again, instead of putting on a show befitting a team that has been crowned champions in England for a joint-record 20 times, United slumped to a 1-0 defeat on Wednesday. The team’s manager Ruben Amorim though welcomed the jeers.
“The boos maybe is something we need because every game we lost in the Premier League, the fans were always there,” he said, as quoted by BBC. “I felt when we finished every time the supporters were with us.”
United endured their worst season since 1974, finishing a dismal 15th with just 11 wins from their 38 matches. The reception in India has been a bit warmer, but the failures of the trophyless past season have not been forgotten.
“Each player has to take responsibility,” said Harry Maguire, at the Cooperage Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. “This season has not been good, we know the criticism is going to be there and we have to accept it. It’s part and parcel of playing for one of the biggest in the world.
“When you play for Manchester United and have a bad year, the scrutiny just comes and comes... The whole world jumps on it, not just the Manchester United fans. The others as well. It can spiral.”
Maguire, the team’s centre-back, along with goalkeeper Andre Onana and full-back Diogo Dalot were in Mumbai as part of Apollo Tyres’ United We Play grassroots programme.
They will be heading to Hong Kong for another club friendly on Friday. It is another post-season exhibition, but, in a way, another opportunity to iron out the many hurdles the team is facing.
One of the struggles is the constant changing of managers. Amorim joined the club in November and was the 10th manager – interim, caretaker and full time – to have been appointed by the club since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
“It’s not easy (for players to adapt to the changes),” said Dalot who has played for seven different managers since joining in 2018. “It shows what is missing around the club – some consistency, some stability. But we are trying to find that.
“This is the cycle where Manchester United has to go back to where it belongs. Fighting for competitions, competing for the best trophies, but we need to take firm steps for that. There are a lot of changes happening, not just in the squad but also in the club.”
The dismal domestic season was different to the one the team experienced at the continental level. United played in the Europa League and reached the final. A win there would have granted them a spot in Europe’s top-flight international contest, the Champions League. But a 1-0 loss to Tottenham took away the club’s only way to salvage the season.
“Everyone was devastated. When you concede one shot on target and that was the goal, and a really scruffy goal,” said Maguire.
“That has been the story of our season. We haven’t conceded many chances, but the bottom line is we haven’t been scoring enough.”
He claimed that with the upcoming changes in the team roster, the target will be to get the club back to winning ways.
“(We have to) make sure we get back to what it was,” said Maguire.
Manchester United
Premier League
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