Harry Maguire, a defender for Manchester United, talks about life at Old Trafford.

In September 2023, when Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was at his lowest when he was abused and mocked during England’s appearance against Scotland (“I came on, played really well, then scored an own goal”), his mother Zoe spoke out on social media.

He described his son’s treatment as “disgraceful and unacceptable.”

“I didn’t want him to, but he just said, ‘I’m doing it!’ I’m not listening to you!'” Maguire said, smiling, as he spoke at length to reporters at the club’s training camp in Maynooth, 20 miles from Dublin, about his career so far and his hopes for the future.

I think it probably affects your family a little more in those moments. They’ve seen what we’ve been through and how challenging it is.

“That was probably the lowest point, but that’s part of the journey.

“I wouldn’t change where I’ve been and what I’ve been through. It’s definitely made me stronger and led me to where I am today.”

It seems unfair to focus on negative things.

Maguire, 33, feels he has performed “really well” in six of his seven seasons at Old Trafford.

“I still believe, even at this age, I’m arguably one of the best defenders in the world in both boxes,” he said. I am confident I can be very effective in late games, whether maintaining a lead or trying to chase games.

Maguire had signed a new deal.

Yet the openness and honesty with which he assessed his more difficult moments made it an obvious area of ​​inquiry, just 24 hours after it was confirmed that Maguire had signed a new deal that will give him an eighth campaign at the club and potentially a ninth.

After all, Maguire is the man whose captaincy was stripped by then-manager Erik ten Hag and the club was prepared to sell him to West Ham just months before that Scotland game.

“Obviously your first feeling is anger and disappointment; that’s natural,” he said of the captaincy call.

“But I always believed that unless you’re a superstar and a world-class player, you will experience ups and downs and face challenges.” That’s why you see many players stay at the top for two or three years, leave, move to a different country, and then you don’t hear about them again.

“Wayne Rooney was here, one of the best players to ever play for this club, and he got many stones thrown at him when he wasn’t performing very well. I always looked at the experiences with players like Wayne and David Beckham and how they overcame it.

“I just kept my head down. I have a lot of self-confidence; more importantly, I’m a top player. That’s what helps me when things become tough.”

Obviously, strength of mind is a positive character trait.

Maguire admits it has been bumpy at times.

He did not say that he benefited from being stripped of the captaincy but admitted that his “form came back” after it happened. “I believe whether I was captain or not, the form would have come back,” he said.

However, he admits that not everyone will have the mental strength to follow his path.

When asked whether that would have put off most players, he said, “Yeah, probably.”

“I think there will be many people who want to close the book, go somewhere else and restart their careers. I think it probably broke them a little bit already. The ridicule and abuse had to end.