Harry Maguire has stepped up to accept responsibility for Manchester United‘s disappointing start to the season, urging his teammates to share the burden and not place all the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.
Harry Maguire: Players Must Step Up to End Manchester United’s Struggles
United’s sluggish form, with just three wins from their first nine games in all competitions, has left Ten Hag’s position under increasing scrutiny.
The team’s recent struggles include a dramatic 3-3 draw at Porto, in which Maguire salvaged a point with a stoppage-time goal, and back-to-back 3-0 Premier League losses to Liverpool and Tottenham.
Despite the mounting pressure on the Dutchman, Maguire emphasized that the players must take ownership of their performances.
“We’ve got to do better,” said Maguire, addressing the team’s defensive lapses and inconsistency.
“It’s easy to point fingers, but at the end of the day, we’re the ones on the pitch, and we’re the ones responsible.”
Maguire, who is expected to start Sunday’s crucial game against Aston Villa, acknowledged that Ten Hag has the experience to handle the current challenges, but insisted that the squad must rise to the occasion.
“We’ve shown under the manager that we can beat anyone on our day, but the problem has been consistency,” he admitted.
Reflecting on last season’s victory at Villa Park, Maguire expressed hope that United could draw inspiration from that performance to turn their fortunes around.
“It’s a great place to go and play,” he added, “and we need to get the three points to start turning things around.”
With United desperate to avoid more dropped points, all eyes will be on the players to deliver—and not just on the man in the dugout.
