Harry Maguire Demands Excellence: "No Excuses" as Man Utd Captain Raises the Bar for New Season

Following a successful undefeated Premier League Summer Series preseason campaign, Manchester United defender Harry Maguire believes the squad cannot make any excuses as they aim to bounce back from a disappointing previous season.

The team that finished 15th last campaign took part in the Premier League Summer Series recently, facing West Ham United, Bournemouth and Everton in three American cities. United secured victories in their first two matches but settled for a draw in their final encounter against Everton.

Hope has been building following a promising preseason run, however, after a challenging season and loss in the Europa League final, supporters are expecting significant progress this term and Maguire acknowledged United must stop relying on outside factors as explanations.

"My goal is to contribute to a winning team this season. I believe last season was challenging for everyone on an individual level, but also collectively as a team, squad, and organization. This season, we have no alibis. We'll have plenty of preparation time for Premier League matches, and we must ensure we're prepared," Maguire stated in a club interview.

One justification frequently cited for United's difficulties last season was a managerial change mid-campaign and insufficient time to adjust to Ruben Amorim's approach.

"That's something [Amorim] emphasized, that we lacked sufficient training ground time," Maguire added. "This preseason has been physically demanding, but most of it focused on tactics.

"So, it's refreshing to work on tactical exercises instead of running around cones and laps of the field. It's been an engaging preseason, one we've all benefited from. We understand the system much better now, and we need to implement that in matches."

Manchester United appeared more aligned with their manager's vision during their 4–1 triumph over Bournemouth in Chicago, although the same defensive issues that troubled the Red Devils last season emerged again in their draw with Everton to conclude the American tour.

United have one remaining preseason match, a home fixture at Old Trafford against Fiorentina and former goalkeeper David De Gea, before beginning their campaign against rivals Arsenal—a match drawing additional attention not only due to the intense rivalry between two of England's premier clubs, but because it should mark the competitive debut of Amorim's former striker, Viktor Gyökeres, wearing an Arsenal jersey.