Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has stated that the Red Devils must look for “huge improvement” this season under Erik ten Hag after last campaign’s disappointing display – with the centre-back claiming that the Dutchman has brought ‘positive vibes’ to the club since his appointment.
United were dumped out in the fourth round of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough on penalties and eliminated in the early knockings of the Carabao Cup by West Ham – both at Old Trafford in extremely untypical United fashion.
A place in the last 16 of the Champions League was arguably their best feat, but again were knocked out of a cup competition at home by Atletico Madrid in their 1-0 defeat – and a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League was the final nail in the coffin to signal a trophy-less season.
Maguire knows better than anybody that their achievements and performances were absolutely nowhere near good enough, with trophies expected year upon year at the Theatre of Dreams after decades of glory under Sir Alex Ferguson.
But the Sheffield-born star believes that a breath of fresh air has been pumped into the club under Ten Hag – and feels the Dutchman can take the club back to where they belong.
“It’s been really good, obviously a fresh start after last season,” Maguire told Sky Sports.
“Ten Hag has brought a lot of energy, a lot of positive vibes and the lads have bought into it really well up to now.
“It was only pre-season but we’re fit and ready to go. We’re looking forward to the season.
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“This club’s all about winning trophies. From where we were last season we’ve got to look at huge improvement.
“Last year was nowhere near acceptable for this club. We got knocked out of cups early, we didn’t give our fans anything to look forward to.
“We’ve got to make sure we’re in these competitions for large parts of the season and come March time we’re still playing in these major competitions and major games.”
