Maguire: Tenghager for a year I do think B Fee is better as a captain, he is really suitable

Hupu on August 12th, Manchester United central defender Harry Maguire accepted an exclusive interview with Ferdinand.

(Exclusive interview will be published in segments)

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Well, do you think your condition improved last season and your tacit understanding with the fans has also been raised to a new level?

Yes, absolutely. I think the worst season for me was the last time Ronnick coached. I didn't perform at my best during that time and made mistakes frequently. Well then that season after Eric coached, well, I found myself being left out of the team.

But in fact, in Eric's first season, we finished third in the Premier League. I think I played 30 games, not in the Premier League, but in and out of the team.

Although I found myself being left out of the team, I still played a lot of games and I felt that even in that season, even if I was put on the court, I was doing my job well. The following season, under Eric's leadership, I participated in every game.

So, I might say, it was a season that really had a turning point. I don't know if that season made me realize, well, when you get into that rhythm, in that kind of moment when you play every game, you might start taking everything for granted.

So, since I wasn't the top pick for a central defender partner that year, yes, I might say the next season is the season I got back to form.

Last season, I obviously had many important moments, and these important moments became memories of fans. The fans have great support for me, that's for sure. I have peaks and troughs at Old Trafford, and it is the fans who have always supported us.

Last season, you performed very professionally on the offensive end. You wouldn't want to reposition yourself to No. 9, right?

No, I really don't want to. I think I'll break down in 20 minutes. No, let me play the defender.

How can I be the best version of Harry Maguire? Uh, what factors do you need to get to the best?

Yes. Well, I'm 32 years old now, so I think I'm in a good state of mind. Well, I think at this age, as a central defender, my body will be at its peak when I was 25-26, but now my style of playing has changed, especially as I am a central defender in the three-back, so I don’t have to drive the ball forward like I did when I was young.

I think being in a good team is the most important thing as a defender. I mean, you can play, you can hold the ball, no matter how good your defender skills are. If you can’t fit into a team, organization, balance and oppression are all important, and as a defender, you’ll struggle especially.

Looking back at your joining Manchester United, in fact, no one could have thought you would join at that time.

But at that time I...I didn't think about anything at all, and I was not worried about the transfer fee at all. Actually, I think the best period of my career was the 25, 26, 27, 28 years old, that was my first two years at Manchester United and the last two years at Leicester City.

In terms of performance, I don't know that I just play football fearlessly, and I'm not afraid of what I want to do. But obviously, playing for this club is like when you're here and you go to tours, go to places like this, go on vacation, or something else, and there's Manchester United fans everywhere, it's incredible.

I would like to say, after signing, did you realize that you suddenly feel that it is important, which is actually bigger than I thought, because I think a lot of the players coming here have anticipated the size of the club, but they were surprised by how big it is.

Where do you think the pressure to play for Manchester United comes from?

I think it is spiritual. Of course, after Sir Ferguson’s glory, we went through a transition period, with the best teams we have yet to win all the trophys.

But it's in a transitional period, and the reality is that we are not the best team, I think it depends on how the players adapt to this scrutiny and how the players continue to endure this judgment. I think Bruno is a good example. He doesn't care what others think, he believes in his ability, which is why he shows his strength on the court.

I talked to Bruno, and he later became the captain. But what I want to say is that I noticed that even if it was just the time we were together, you don’t need the captain’s armband to become the captain. In my opinion, leadership is also very important.

Yes, absolutely. When I was captain, Bruno gave me full support. To be honest, I gave Bruno a lot of help.

Whenever I need to make a decision, I have people like De Gea, B Fee, Mata around me. So, with experienced professionals, I always borrowed from them, and I had a good relationship with Bruno as captain and then… well, obviously Eric decided to change captains because I didn’t play in my first season. Well

Yes, to be honest, I really want to let B Fei be the captain, I said he walked up to me, I talked to him, and I said, "Listen, congratulations."

I really want to know, when he tells you what the conversation between me and the coach is like, because I've been through that situation, but my role at the time was Bruno.

I thought it was a tricky conversation at the time. Well, I think that in the previous season, I wasn't as important to the club as I was with Sosha.

I think if you are the captain, you need to feel your importance. You need to get support from your coach. You need to get support from all team members. If you don't, that won't work.

Well, no, Bruno is a great captain, so I'm like I told Bruno, and I said, um, if I have to give up the responsibility to anyone - of course I don't want to give up - he's the one I want to lead the club forward because he's a great player, a big leader, and most importantly, he puts others first. So I think this is a big trait of being a captain.

I want to ask you, what is his best trait?

That is that he is willing to contribute. Yes, absolutely. He cares about others, cares about improving others, and cares about helping others.

Well, there are a lot of players in this sport that obviously fight for themselves, which is rightfully so. It took them far, but there were also many players caring about the team, helping others improve, making young players comfortable, and they knew Bruno was such a person.

So, he is an excellent captain, and I believe he will lead the club to glory.