Maguire says Manchester United need ‘new ideas’ to challenge for Premier League title

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire says the club must develop new ideas and tactical approaches if they are to mount a serious Premier League title challenge under manager Michael Carrick.

United have not won the league since 2013, the year Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Since then, the club have struggled to maintain the consistency required to compete at the top of English football.

Carrick was appointed United’s permanent manager after impressing during his spell as caretaker boss. The former United midfielder initially took charge on an interim basis following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim in January, guiding the side to 12 wins, three draws and two defeats in 17 matches.

Maguire believes United must build on that improvement when the new campaign begins.

“If we can continue that momentum, that would be great. We had the most Premier League points since he joined, so that will be our aim this season,” said Maguire.

The England defender is beginning his seventh season as a Manchester United player and expects the team to show significant progress after their work during pre-season.

He said the squad understood that stronger performances would be required, even though there were positive signs in a number of matches last season.

“But we will have new ideas and new ways of playing. There will be different tactics that the manager wants to see from us. We played well in a lot of games but could have played even better. We understand that as players.

“We’ve been working hard on that during pre-season, and I think you are going to see a lot better performances from us this season,” he added.

United have also strengthened their squad during the summer with the arrivals of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos.

Tielemans, 29, is expected to bring additional experience and leadership to the team. He is captain of Belgium and has spent extended periods in the Premier League with Leicester City and Aston Villa.

Santos, aged 22, could eventually take over the role previously occupied by Casemiro. The Brazil midfielder left United at the end of last season and has since moved to the United States, where he joined Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.

Maguire’s comments underline the importance of Carrick’s first full season in charge. United’s recent form under the manager has created optimism, but the defender accepts that maintaining momentum will not be enough on its own if the club are to challenge for the title.

The task facing United is made more difficult by their long wait for another league triumph. They have been unable to reproduce the sustained success of Ferguson’s era since his departure in 2013, and Maguire says changes to the team’s style and approach will be central to their hopes in the upcoming campaign.