Harry Maguire makes great point about Ruben Amorim’s difficulties, Manchester United teammates must listen

Harry Maguire defended Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim in the club’s pre-match press conference for their game against Rangers on Thursday.

Manchester United have had a difficult time under Ruben Amorim’s leadership, with just one win in their last five Premier League outings.

The games have come thick and fast since the Portuguese coach was appointed in November and there have been a lot of difficulties on the pitch.

United’s players are trying to adapt to Amorim’s new system but struggles are evident in almost every game.

Maguire says United players must take responsibility

Harry Maguire is one of the few players who have enjoyed a positive spell of form under Amorim, with the defender now the first-choice option as the central centre-back.

Still, the team are making mistakes that have nothing to do with the shape, formation or instructions from the head coach.

When asked what the problems have been under Amorim, the 31-year-old defender explained that himself and the other players have to take more responsibility.

“If I could explain it, I think we’d change it straightaway,” replied Maguire. “These players who have won lots of trophies in club football, but we’re not playing well enough as a team.

“We’ve got to stop looking for excuses and blaming things. It’s really important we improve.

“As players, after the [Brighton] game we were really frustrated and disappointed. We were confident we could beat Brighton but we didn’t perform well enough.

“We have to take responsibility ourselves. I go home and think about where we want to get back to: players taking responsibility and improving individually.”

In particular, Maguire cited the need to stay defensively stable at the beginning of games and to stop giving away the first goal in matches.

During Premier League fixtures so far this season, the Reds have conceded in the first-half 13 times and scored during that period on just nine occasions.

“We have to stop giving away that first goal,” continued Maguire. “The first goal against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth was a set-play.

“These aren’t things that are tactically a problem, they are things when you have to go into the game and be focused and mentally ready to go on and win football matches.”

Maguire makes great point about United’s problems

It is no surprise that Maguire is suggesting that himself and the team need to take more responsibility. Despite not wearing the captain’s armband anymore, he is still a leader.

And it is a great point from the defender; United are still making so many silly defensive errors. There can be question marks over certain things Amorim has done but it can only go so far.

Read More: Fabrizio Romano hands crucial Patrick Dorgu to Manchester United update as second option considered

Ultimately, while the squad at Old Trafford might not be good enough for the top four, they are certainly not bad enough to be 13th, no matter what system they are in.

Taking responsibility for your own performance is the only way United will get out of this rut, unless some extremely influential signings come in before the January deadline. Unlikely.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.