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Rio Ferdinand Presents

11 Aug 2025 · 31m · 13 chapters

Episode artwork

Harry Maguire on his ‘toughest moment’, losing captaincy and Cristiano’s impact

In short

Harry Maguire discusses his toughest period at Manchester United, losing the captaincy, handling media/social scrutiny, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s impact; he also explains what’s changed under a new Man United manager and how pressure works at club vs international level.

Guest background

Harry Maguire is a Premier League defender who played for Manchester United and England, served as United captain for about two and a half years, and has been a long-serving squad member. He’s now in a new phase after a difficult stretch and says he’s mentally in a good place at age 32.

Key claims

Criticism is mentally hardest, especially for younger players and families; social media posts became “for clicks.” His toughest moment was being jeered by Scotland fans while playing for England. He says Bruno Fernandes leads without needing the armband and that United’s recent improvement comes from better physicality, full pre-season, and a more aggressive pressing/wing play approach. He claims Cristiano’s arrival didn’t fit United’s system well enough, despite Ronaldo being the team’s best goalscorer.

Notable examples

jeering at Scotland away; Europa League final losses (including a penalty shootout vs Spurs); Leicester/Porto/Leicester cup “late” goals; partnerships like De Gea/Bruno/Nemanja; tactical shift to reduce risky short passing in the own third; team five-a-side picks: John Stones, Bruno, Paul Pogba, Riyad Mahrez, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes.

Chapters

0:00

Team Spirit and Recent Performance

Maguire discusses the importance of team spirit and recent improvements in performance.

“You're probably multitasking right now, right?”
1:35

Team Spirit and Recent Performance

Maguire discusses the importance of team spirit and recent improvements in performance.

“One's just turned 19 and the other one's 16.”
3:24

Dealing with Criticism

Maguire shares his experiences with media criticism and its impact on players.

“I've been waiting to speak to him for ages.”
5:32

Toughest Moments in Career

Maguire reflects on the toughest moments of his career and how he copes with pressure.

“Yeah, first and foremost, I've got a great team around me.”
8:44

Redemption and Fan Connection

Maguire describes his redemption arc and evolving rapport with fans.

“And then the season after Eric come in and I found myself out of the team, but actually the season Eric was in the first season, we finished third in the Premier League.”
10:42

Understanding Manchester United's Expectations

Maguire talks about the expectations and pressures of playing for Manchester United.

“what ingredients are kind of needed for you to be your optimum best?”
14:46

Understanding Manchester United's Expectations

Maguire talks about the expectations and pressures of playing for Manchester United.

“Commuting, working out, crossing things off your list.”
15:49

Transition of Captaincy to Bruno Fernandes

Maguire shares insights on his transition of captaincy to Bruno Fernandes.

“When it comes to playing for May United, what is put under more pressure?”
18:16

Bruno Fernandes: A Leader on the Pitch

Maguire highlights Bruno's qualities as a leader and team player.

“I was going to ask you what's the best traits that he has so that's that he's a giver to other people.”
20:04

Scrutiny on Manchester United vs. England

Maguire contrasts the scrutiny faced by Manchester United with that of the England team.

“I mean, if you weren't getting any assists and goals and he was giving the ball away all the time, he'd be the first man to tell you he gives the ball away a lot of times.”
Show all 13 chapters
21:05

Ambitions for the Future at Manchester United

Maguire discusses his long-term ambitions and consistency issues at United.

“He picked a team that he thought could go on and win a tournament and obviously we were so unlucky not to win a tournament.”
23:29

Evolution of Center-Back Roles in Modern Football

Maguire explains the changing dynamics of center-back responsibilities.

“Because that intrigues me being a defender, I'd like to know what he's actually asking of you guys.”
28:03

Cristiano Ronaldo's Impact at Manchester United

Learn about Harry Maguire's experiences playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and the challenges the team faced during his time.

“It's a running game now, if I'm being totally honest.”
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Transcript

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0:00You're probably multitasking right now, right? Commuting, working out, crossing things off your list. Worth asking when check-in on yourself landed on it. Grow makes the booking part fast. The rest is between you and a therapist who actually gets it. Grow connects you with thousands of high-quality, licensed therapists across the U.S., offering both virtual and in-person sessions, nights and weekends. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time. The therapist you want takes your insurance on Grow. Grow accepts over 125 insurance plans.

0:38Sessions average$21 with insurance and some pay as little as$0 depending on their plan. Visit growtherapy.com slash start now today to get started. That's growtherapy.com slash start now. Growtherapy.com slash start now. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. He is one of the most talked about players in the Premier League. Harry Maguire has now signed for Manchester United, whereas a world record fee for a defender. He's one of the longest serving members of the squad, so he's seen a lot. He plays in the same position as I did. He wears the same number and has faced some difficult times under scrutiny from the press and pundits like me.

1:22Under a new manager, there's clear signs that he's enjoying his football more and the Man United faithful are loving his redemption. There's so much to get into with a big man. Let's go.

1:35Are you down south based? London way. Yeah, I'm in London. So the moment I retired, I moved back. I built somewhere. I was always going to come back. How old are you boys now? One's just turned 19 and the other one's 16. Centervo? Well, one's a keeper. How have you done that? I don't know. I always say the same thing. What are you doing? One's a keeper, one's a centre-by-half left footer. Oh, nice. It's a better one, that's it. No, it's good. It's good. Yeah, I've never been around the squad as close to the way I've been at the start of this season. It's been really interesting to see how close you guys are.

2:08You seem like a real unit. There's loads of joking going on. Cunha, the new signing, is part of every joke I see on social media when I've been around. What's it been like for you? How important is that for you as a squad? Yeah, it's really important. I think team spirit is so important. and I think it's actually quite nice to have someone like yourself around the squad. I think people can think that we're not trying, we're not working hard, we're not doing enough, but we are. Guys, they're grafting. I've seen it. We are. We want to be successful. We're doing everything we can to be successful.

2:44Sometimes we know it's not been good enough for a reason and we've not given our fans as much. I mean, obviously, we've won trophies over the last few years. we could have won more I've lost two Europa League finals now one on penalties and the last one against Spurs if we've been honest in both games we was a better team but it could have been different in terms of that but yeah the lads are working hard and it's a great atmosphere in the place I feel like it's almost a little bit of a fresh start and hopefully this start is a good start and it's something that we can build on and strive towards and get this club back to when you was playing But you know what, it's weird because I actually, I said to a couple of my mates in the interview at your WhatsApp groups, I'm going to be interviewing Harry.

3:29I've been waiting to speak to him for ages. And they're like, oh, I could be a bit frosty. You said, if you thought, I said, no, I think it should be all right. I spoke to him in a tunnel. But I was like, he's obviously going to be a little bit, are we all right, aren't we? No, of course, yeah. Because I saw you in a tunnel, didn't I? Yeah, of course. But it was like, but I thought, you know, I think it's the best thing to do is talk about these things. is like obviously I've said some great things about you in Baker England and there's been times when I've been critical of you in a May United shirt.

3:57But I've always wanted you to kind of understand like all players, it's never from a personal point of view. It's always like in my job, you've got to say what you see. Yeah, I understand. And what more importantly, I wanted to kind of just find out for you that how does it make you feel where you see somebody like maybe myself who played at the club, who's been here and some other people in the media are similar. How does that make you feel? because i know how it made me feel when i played yeah i tend to as as much as i can um ignore it even though it's hard yeah social media nowadays is it's tough and no it's nice to when people speak well over here but when you play for this club i think you soon realize that you can get spoken well of in and then three months later it could be totally different it can flip so quickly so yeah i try and ignore it i think it's more harder for for the players as families i think yeah i was gonna ask you about that because they they're the ones probably who see it people speak people when i speak to people they don't generally bring bring up oh royke said this about you rio said this about you they don't bring it up to me they probably bring it up to my mom and dad or my brother so i think personally i think they're the ones that probably suffer a little bit more than myself but i understand i understand it's a job i understand that that's what we have to do um and obviously i i don't mind taking uh criticism or i'm sure I've had enough throughout my career, especially when you get older.

5:19It's the younger generation probably what it's more fearful for because you don't know which way it's going to go. How did you deal with it? And with that, what's that advice for the younger players? Because I think it's hugely important for someone like yourself. Yeah, first and foremost, I've got a great team around me. I've got a good family, really close to my friends. My friends, what I was close to at school, I've stayed with the same friendship group um that's really important to have good support around you good family around you but obviously some players come from different countries and don't have that so now the main thing i i always say is that you can only do what you can do and um on the football pitch you get judged and when you play for this club everything gets analyzed every goal that goes in the back of the net is someone's fault it always gets pinpointed on somebody even though it It could be just a good goal or a good well-worked goal.

6:13I think you do become used to it, but for a young boy coming into it, when you're a young boy, you have no fear. And then once you make a couple of mistakes and people, after a couple of seasons, people start expecting things from you. And then that's when the real test comes. And I see a lot of players at Manchester United break through in one or two years. And then after the second year, they start getting questioned and the form dips a little bit. And I think it happens so much. I don't think it's the first couple of years of youngsters coming into the first team. They always get worshipped at this club.

6:44What has been your toughest moment in that period of criticism for yourself? My toughest moment?

6:55I probably had a bad six months. Everything I did was online and videos on me and misplaced the past. it would be i think it got to a stage where um anything posted was for clicks more or less i can take constructive criticism off players x players and i think a lot did get it got to a stage where it was just all for clicks and click back and followers and things like that um the toughest moment i'd probably say personally probably when i got jeered um at scotland away playing for England onto the pitch. Obviously, I've had an amazing career for England and then coming on the pitch there and then, I know it was only their fans, they probably say a little bit of banter or thingy, but it just, it got to a stage there then, I think people realised it had passed the mark of banter.

7:52And I think that was the moment what really turned and I had a lot of support and help around me there. I had a lot of people reach out to my ex-players. I must say there was a lot of people who text me who found my number from nowhere and now I'm really appreciative of that. Good. And just to flip it, I mean, during the pre-season tour, I saw a little bit of data come out of you as the best-selling shirt on the tour, which was like such a huge turnaround and that redemption arc almost. Do you think you turned a bit of a corner last season and the rapport with the fans have gone to a new level for you?

8:29Yeah, definitely. I think obviously the worst season for me was the end of the Ragnar era. That was the period where I wasn't playing at my best and I was making mistakes. And then the season after Eric come in and I found myself out of the team, but actually the season Eric was in the 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. Leitcher and Rafa formed a great partnership that year and did really, really well but I found myself out of the team but I still played a lot of games and I felt even in that season when I was getting chucked in I was doing my job and then the season after I was playing every game I was available under Eric so I'd probably say that was the season what really turned I don't know if that season out maybe made me realise and when you're in that rhythm and that moment of playing every single game you probably start to to take things a little bit for granted um that it's never going to be you that leave that's seizure out of the team so as soon as i had that year where i wasn't first choice in the in the center back partnership um yeah i'd probably say the season afterwards the season where it turned and then last season obviously i had a lot of big moments and and those big moments turned into the to the fans um yeah leon was amazing i was there I know absolute carnage so yeah just moments like Leon I think I scored four last season and it was all late on Porto away Leicester in the last minute as well in the cup the wing of it yeah the wing of it again that got so all these moments got added up and no the fans have been brilliant with me that's one thing for sure I've played at Old Trafford through good periods and bad periods and I've never once they've not been with me and yeah they're amazing the fans and just need to repay him now.

10:27Just after your exploits last season in the attacking area, you don't fancy reinventing yourself as a number nine, do you? No, not really. I think I'll be blowing after 20 minutes. Get me back. To get the best version of Harry Maguire, what ingredients are kind of needed for you to be your optimum best? Yeah, well, I'm 32 now, so I'd say mentally I'm in a great place. I think when you get to this age, I think as a centre-back, you know a game, you know your positioning. Obviously, physically, I personally believe I was a lot better when I was 25, 26 in terms of physical attributes. And my game has changed within that, especially playing in the middle of the three and not having to run the ball up the pitch, which I used to do a lot when I was younger.

11:17But yeah, I think being in a good team is the most important thing as a defender. I mean, you can play in teams and it doesn't matter how good you are as a defender. If you don't play in a team, what's organised, balanced, press as well, you struggle as a defender especially. When I look at your time of coming to my United, there's so many similarities in myself. That's why I reached out to you when you signed, because I just thought it's such a big move, huge money you came for, same position, same number. You become captain, etc. Very similar in so many different aspects. and you look at that out there.

11:53I want to know when you came to Man Utd, were any plans laid out for you? Like, what was the plan for the club, for you, etc at that time? Well, when I first joined, again, I was just in this bubble. I'm a really laid-back guy. I don't get starstruck. It was such a privilege to join the club, but I never really thought about the transfer figure. I never really thought about what the moment was. and then when I look back now and I think wow it's actually incredible like a young lad from Sheffield and you're getting bought for that amount of money and it's a record transfer fee and then you go on six months later to be the Manchester United captain for two and a half years but at the moment I just think I didn't I didn't take it all in at that moment and I didn't worry about at all about the transfer fee and actually I feel like my best part of my career was the two that period at 25, 26, 27, 28, when it was my first two years at Manchester United and my last two years at Leicester, in terms of performance-wise.

12:53I don't know. I just played with no fear. I had no fear about anything, what I was going to do. Obviously, playing for this club is such a... When you're here and then you go on tours and you come to places like this and you go on holiday or whatever and it's just full of Manchester United fans. It's just incredible. I was going to say to you, was there a moment that you realised well after you signed in and that you went oh this is big this is actually bigger than i thought because i think a lot of players that come here anticipate the size of the club but they're surprised by actually how big it is yeah well i've spoke to i don't want to name names but we have players who signed here from chelsea juan nemanja all those boys and the size of the scrutiny and pressure they was they were speaking to me about and it's just a different league it's a totally different scale of things and I think when you the main thing you do realise is the scrutiny and the analysis what's on the matches every single thing what happens gets analysed and you've got to be perfect in your work but also on the other hand when things are going well you get the praise and you get the privileges of playing for the best club in the world Right man we've got loads still to come right on this pod but we'll be back shortly after this BILT is the membership for where you live that lets you earn points on rent.

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15:49When it comes to playing for May United, what is put under more pressure? Is it technical ability or is it actually mental strength? I think it's mental strength, definitely. I think a big part to play, you've got to thrive off the pressure and you've got to play like you're playing in a playground. And I think that's what we've struggled to find over the last 10 years. There has been a transition period, obviously, when Sir Alex was here and we had the best team by far and won all the trophies. But the transition period is, at the moment, the reality is that we're not the best team. and I think it's how people and how the lads can adapt to that level of scrutiny and to keep going through that scrutiny.

16:33I think Bruno's a perfect example. He doesn't care what anyone thinks and he believes in his ability and that's why he shows on the pitch. Talking to Bruno, he became captain. But what I would say is that what I've noticed with you and even this little time we've spent together now is that you don't really need the armband to be captain, it seems to me, and to lead. No, definitely. When I was captain, Bruno gave me my full support. I leant on Bruno a lot, to be honest. And whenever I had decisions to make, I had people around me like De Gea, Bruno, Nemanja. So I had good experienced pros there and I always leant on them.

17:10And I built a good relationship with Bruno when I was captain. And when I obviously decided to change to captaincy because I wasn't playing in that first season, and yeah, I really wanted it to go to Bruno, if I'm being honest, and I told Bruno the same. I said, he'd come up to me, I spoke to him, I said, look, congratulations, and I really... What was that conversation like with the manager when he tells you? Because I've been in that situation, but the roles, I was Bruno, you know, at Leeds. Manager David O 'Leary come to me and said to me, Rio, I'm going to make you captain in front of Lucas Redibi, never spoke to me, never spoke to him.

17:45I was so embarrassed. But like you, Lucas Redibi, or like Bruno, a really really nice guy and actually made me feel much more comfortable about it it could have been awkward yeah but kind of made it comfortable no i it was it was just sticky conversation um i didn't feel the season before i just didn't feel as important to the club as what i did under ollie and i think if you're the captain you need to feel the importance you need to have the backing of the manager you need to have the backing of all the team around it and if you don't it doesn't work Bruno was Eric's guy and Bruno's a great leader so like I said to Bruno I said if I had to give it away to anyone which I didn't want to give it away he'd be the man I want to take this club forward because he's a fantastic player great leader and most importantly he puts other people first so I think that's a big trait to have when you're captain.

18:42I was going to ask you what's the best traits that he has so that's that he's a giver to other people. Yeah, definitely he cares and he cares about others, he cares about improving others, he cares about helping others. There's a lot of players in this game who obviously play for themselves, rightly so, it takes them far. But there's also a lot of players who care about the team and making other people better and making young lads come through, feel comfortable. And Bruno's one of those, so he's a great captain and I'm sure he'll lead this club into good things. When it comes to Bruno, a lot of people talk about him taking risks.

19:19I love it. I think you need to at the top level if you're going to win things, especially when you win games. You've got to take it. There's got to be an element of risk. As a defender in the team, are you able to admire that when you're looking behind that? No, I just admire Bruno every day because of what he brings to the team. He's a fantastic footballer. Arguably the probably most complete footballer I've played with. I can't give him an eye enough compliment to that. Obviously, Cristiano come and he was probably his... I didn't see him in his peak, but the way he was, Cristiano, around the place was unbelievable.

19:54But in terms of what Bruno has done for this club over the last few years, he's a fantastic footballer. No, like you say, I don't mind the risk because his numbers back up. I mean, if you weren't getting any assists and goals and he was giving the ball away all the time, he'd be the first man to tell you he gives the ball away a lot of times. but his numbers back it up and he's a fantastic player. Just to switch it I think and to move to England I think one of the factors that some people found a bit peculiar or difficult to understand was how great you've been in England, and then at the beginning not now, I'm talking at the beginning it was maybe in different times for Manchester United.

20:32What are the differences between international football and club football for you that maybe was the difference for your game?

20:44I wouldn't be able to put a finger on it. I think there's more scrutiny on Manchester United just because more people in the country hate them. And that's just a fact. Everyone in the Premier League dislikes Man United and they don't want to see them do well. So I think there is more scrutiny on Manchester United. Whereas as England, everyone gets together and everyone everyone I think England's another story I think what happens with England is I can tell you how an England career would go because when you get over 30 at England I think the fans start to get out let's play these young guys who's coming through who are amazing highlights on Twitter and things it's only England though you know other countries look at like Italy wouldn't well Vinucci and Killeen didn't they exactly they love them playing old experienced players it's just our country no it is in england i i know like when it when as soon as i reach whether i've seen it first and i mean when walks walks has been having it for for the last five years he's been the best english right probably we've ever produced and um but yeah that's the way it goes in england that's probably what people do need to be aware of as well because um but gareth gareth was amazing in terms of he really didn't listen to absolutely anybody or any pressure or any media in terms of who we wanted to pick.

22:06He picked a team that he thought could go on and win a tournament and obviously we were so unlucky not to win a tournament. I think it's fair to say you've only got a year left on your deal at Manchester United, obviously the World Cup this summer. What's your ambitions long term at United as well? Yeah, obviously a year left on my deal. I feel good. I feel really good in a good place. Played a lot of games last season. With England, there's a World Cup at the end of the year. I'll be doing everything I can to be in that squad. I still feel like I've got a lot to offer for the squad. Last season was nowhere near good enough for Manchester United.

22:45So the main thing that we've been struggling over the last few years is the consistency of performances. I mean, we can beat anyone on our day but we haven't been able to produce it in the Premier League on a consistent basis. Why is that do you think? That's the conundrum isn't it? Yeah it is, I don't know. It's a strange one. Do you talk about it a lot, players wise? Yeah, because we want to find it, we want to be challenging at the top and we have a lot of talent in the squad. Obviously we've brought in Matthias and Brian who look really well and I know they're going to improve us massively and it's really good that now we've had a full pre-season to work under this manager.

23:22I think he spoke about it a lot last season that we just didn't have a chance to train and I think to be honest when he first took over I think the physicality of our squad wasn't good enough for the Premier League, we couldn't run hard enough, we didn't win enough duels and I think he's realised that and now we've got a full pre-season and I think the lads are looking a lot more leaner and sharper and I think it's now good competition for places and I'm sure they'll bring in a couple more but yeah it's looking a lot more Just talking about the squad and the team there, as a centre-back, just drill into a little bit of that, what's your role for the manager as a centre-back in the team?

23:58Because that intrigues me being a defender, I'd like to know what he's actually asking of you guys. Yeah, so obviously we play a back three, I've been playing a lot in the middle, even though I did play all the time at the left when I played for England. Yeah, I've been playing in the middle he wants um really aggressive really front four i think last year we didn't swing enough swing across enough quick enough probably to do with our like i said our physical fitness physical we weren't our running our running power wasn't good enough in the in the premier league so i think this season you'll see a lot more swinging across playing not just with the back five four i think will be a lot of the back three along along the back line um enabling us to to jump and get high pressure on the ball.

24:43He obviously wants us to build up, but take no risks. I think last season we played a lot of short passes in our building up in our own third. I think one of the most in the Premier League, if not the most. But I think we give it away the most as well in our own third. So it's something that we do need to look at and improve on. But yeah, it's all guided to help the team. It's really pragmatic. I think everyone gets drawn into thinking that we're a back five and we're a back three. When if you actually watch and analyse our games, we're playing a back four a lot of the time. Like you say, you swing.

25:20Yeah, we swing a lot. We have a lot of times where we're in a shape in a 4-4-1-1 and one of the wing backs actually plays as a winger. So I think people can get drawn into the formation and why is he not changing and why is he not doing this? but there's many times in games where we're a back three or a back four or a back five. What is the toughest part that all them asks for you as a defender? Because I look at that and think part of my game, especially when I was a younger defender, that decision when to jump into midfield and go with the player going into the 10 role, I used to think was a hard decision as to timing when you go, how fast you go, etc.

25:58What's the bit that you go, that's always the bit that's a little bit. I agree. i think that when you're playing about four is probably the hardest decision especially as a center back because you don't really want you're edging on you you want to go and nail someone but yeah yeah you don't want to leave that big space yeah you don't leave it behind you um but as a back three you should really feel comfortable in doing that especially your outside ones i think myself in the middle i don't want to be jumping in all the time and and leaving big gaps but the outside one should have a the license to jump in and be aggressive to everything i think anything in that 10 10 role um i think nowadays the game's changed so much as a defender it's massive yeah you're having to build up on the on your edge of your own box and then you're having to play on the halfway line and play 1v1 and you're very rarely i think obviously when you was playing you was probably getting in a lot of jewels with a striker and it was like you had big number nines to mark and now it's like as a center if you're playing the back four of the center back now you're actually probably marking the wingers more than you are the centre forward.

26:59Or you're 2v1 against the centre forward. All the time. It's mad. They're very different. It's... The game has changed a lot. I feel like even over the last couple of years, it's turned into... It's really, really more about 1v1 and duels. I mean, you'd find it raising this system, but... Do you think, yeah? Do you think that? Yeah, I think your style, obviously, you could play in on the high line and defend the channels brilliant. I think it's such a big part now. I'm a bit different in the middle of the three. But yeah, the centre-backs nowadays are playing full-back centre-back. Number six, someone goes in and it's...

27:40It's scary a lot in my generation, I tell you. Yeah, definitely. It's a totally different generation in terms of what the demands are. Actually defending the boxes isn't becoming that important now. Everyone tries to stay out of the box. so everyone now is holding a line on the edge of the box and the last thing you want to do is actually go in the box whereas back in the day you had big centre-backs who was just sit on the edit out, no problem, keep feeding them balls but yeah, it's just a different game I think especially over the last couple of years I think Pep took obviously over the game eight, seven years ago and it was all about control and I think even over the last couple of years I think it's flipped again to more about intensity and more about jewels and 1v1 battles.

28:24It's a running game now, if I'm being totally honest. Yeah, definitely. Athletes, athletes. All over the pit. So just two questions I've got now for you to finish off. You mentioned Ronaldo earlier. I think the fans, the Man United fan base, always want to hear about what he was like when he was here. Obviously, someone who must have been very close would have been yourself. What did he bring to the dressing room and what was he like in that dressing room? Just take us there a little bit. No, I can't speak a bad word about him. He was amazing to have him just walk through the door. It was just incredible.

28:54It was just so disappointing how it ended and how we couldn't find a way to perform with him in the team. He was performing. He was scoring goals. It was crazy. I don't know how many scored that year. He was rubbish and he was still scoring goals. So it just shows how good he is. But we just couldn't find a way to... All our system under Oli was all about being front foot, being aggressive. Pressing. Pressing. It was like a pressing machine. We wasn't the best team. We actually finished third and then second. We didn't have probably the best players. We had some great players, don't get me wrong.

29:34But it was all about pressing and working to a tactics and working to a shape and when to jump and when to stay. and obviously Cristiano come in and we just didn't adapt well enough for him and you could tell he was just so upset and frustrated. How did you deal with that frustration and the anger that he would have shown outwardly? Because being in the changing room, you know, he's not very good at hiding things, do you know what I mean? So it's there for us to see. How did you deal with that as one of the senior players? Yeah, I think, do you know what? I think it was the season where I just think everyone was so frustrated in terms of like, they just we just couldn't believe what happened because we obviously finished third and second and that season we bought in sanch rafa and cristiano in the summer and you're thinking here we go now like let's go and win the premier league and it just never happened it just never clicked and obviously we lost ollie um which was disappointing if i'm being honest i felt like ollie did an unbelievable job i'll probably speak more about ollie when i'm when i'm retired but the way that he set us up in the first two years is probably the best i've felt in in a team under Oli and Kieran and Karras.

30:43Those three, they had us so well organised. And like I said, we didn't have the, I wouldn't say the best team. You were well coached. We were just well coached, tactically brilliant, we were pragmatic, we could play, we could press. But yeah, the third season I was there, it just didn't work and it had nothing to do with Cristiano because like I said, he was our best player that year by far. and the boys and the tactics around him just it just didn't work okay lastly we always have this with our guests who come on and I'm quite interested to see your team five a side team are the best players you've played with no keepers

31:27I'm going to go with John Stones yep great on the ball unbelievable great defender um did you best center half you played with in terms of me and him having a partnership a partnership i felt like we was we were so understanding of each other and um i think he's obviously struggled over the last couple of years with injuries but he's the the travel season when he was unbelievable he probably played number six really he could play anywhere he's so on the ball and understood the game so well um so yeah i go john stones um who else would i go here i'm gonna go three in midfield one defender stones he can do it on his own no run no run oh i could have rafa although i'd say rafa is more of an 11 a side player okay he's an unbelievable player great guy um i go bruno okay bruno paul pogba How good is he?

32:30It is a joke, isn't it? He was such a good player and another player who did we actually get the best out of him. He still had so much more to offer. Even though he did brilliant for Manchester United, the expectation on him was just... Huge, wasn't it? He just couldn't do anything. He just had to be the best player every game, otherwise he'd get... Hammers, yeah. Hammers, so... No, he had everything. He was an unbelievable player. So John Stones, Bruno, Paul Pogba, Riyad Mahrez. Oh, Leicester. Yeah. He was a fantastic player. Crazy in five or five. Was he? Yeah. And then strike, obviously, Cristiano.

33:11That's not a bad team. So it's John Stones, Bruno, Pogba, Riyad Mahrez, Cristiano. It's a good team now, isn't it? It's not bad. I don't like to defend against that. listen Harry it's been great to speak to you take care man and good luck thank you very much thank you thank you

33:47hi this is Monica Reinagle of Nutrition Diva Today's show is sponsored by Nature Raised Farms. Grocery shopping can be a little overwhelming, especially if you're reading labels. And in my opinion, chicken shouldn't be complicated. Which is why I appreciate Nature Raised Farms. It's chicken that's just chicken. And their lightly breaded chicken nuggets are free from gluten, dairy, and soy. Look for Nature Raised Farms on your next grocery trip and feel more confident about your choices.

From the publisher

Harry Maguire sits down with Rio who admits he was a bit nervous about the interview before it started following comments he made about Maguire’s performances in a Manchester United shirt.


Harry addresses these and the level of scrutiny that he has faced whilst at Old Trafford discussing them with Rio along with a number of other issues.


Maguire reveals what it was like after Bruno Fernandes was given the captaincy by Erik Ten Hag last season and why he thinks he performed differently for England compared to playing for Manchester United.


Rio is particularly invested in hearing how players in his position are asked to play so the pair dig into the demands on central defenders from manager Ruben Amorim and in today’s game in general. Maguire also describes how much he’s looking forward to this season after a ‘tough’ pre-season which he says has been great at bringing the players together and helping acclimatise to Ruben Amorim’s style of play.

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