Harry Maguire Sets Ambitious Goals for New Season

Harry Maguire has drawn a clear line in the sand for the new season: match, or better, the surge that began the moment Michael Carrick walked through the door.

Since Carrick’s arrival, no one in the squad has helped harvest more Premier League points. For Maguire, that isn’t a stat to be admired from a distance; it’s the standard.

“If we can continue that momentum, that would be great. We had the most Premier League points since he joined, so that will be our aim this season,” the 33-year-old told the club’s in-house cameras, sounding more like a captain setting targets than a defender reflecting on the past.

Carrick’s imprint and a sharper Maguire

The transformation under Carrick has been obvious in results, but Maguire insists the ceiling is still higher. Performances improved, yes, but he’s adamant they left plenty on the pitch.

“We played well in a lot of games but could have played even better. We understand that as players,” he said, outlining a summer built not on complacency but on correction.

The work has been intense. New patterns. New ideas. A tweak here, a new trigger there. “We will have new ideas and new ways of playing. There will be different tactics that the manager wants to see from us,” he explained. This isn’t a group content with simply rolling last season’s blueprint into August.

Maguire himself is coming off one of his most assertive spells in years. Since the turn of the year, he has won more Premier League duels (44) than any of his team-mates, a number that underlines how central he has become to Carrick’s defensive structure. Strong in the challenge, dominant in the air, and increasingly sure of his timing, he has quietly re-established himself as a cornerstone.

The twist? Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave him out of England’s World Cup squad turned out to be the catalyst. What looked like a personal setback opened a window for a full, uninterrupted pre-season.

It has been priceless.

“I feel like you improve your fitness every week that goes by during pre-season. It’s been nice to go straight into a 60-minute game and be able to build myself up,” Maguire said. No late arrivals. No rushed minutes. Just steady, structured work.

“I am pleased with the way it’s gone. As a team, I think we’re in a really good position. We’re all fit and looking strong.”

Competition, depth, and a stronger dressing room

The squad dynamic has shifted too. The World Cup contingent are back, and with them, the internal battle for places has sharpened.

“It’s great to have all the players back from the World Cup. It makes our squad even stronger and improves the competition for places and that is the way it should be at this club,” Maguire added.

That edge in training is exactly what Carrick needs. A group that knows a dip in level doesn’t just risk a result; it risks a place in the XI.

A familiar first hurdle – and no margin for error

The season begins with a storyline fixture. On August 22, United travel to newly-promoted Hull City, one of Maguire’s former clubs. Sentiment will swirl around the stands, but there’s no room for nostalgia on the pitch. Not with the schedule that follows.

• Ipswich Town.
• Everton.
• Manchester City.
• Fulham.

All before the first international break in September. It’s a run that offers no gentle introduction and no time to ease into rhythm.

Maguire knows exactly what that means.

“In the Premier League, you always want a good start. You don’t want to be playing catch-up in the Premier League because there are so many good teams,” he said. The warning was blunt. There are no soft landings anymore.

“There are no given games. When you play against anyone, you’ve got to go out there and fight for the three points because you know the following week it is going to be just as tough, and that is part and parcel of the Premier League.”

The message is clear: last season’s surge under Carrick set the benchmark. This season, from that first whistle at Hull, Maguire expects them to live up to it.