Harry Maguire predicts 'amazing' career for former manager Ruben Amorim after seeing 'great ideas', and opens up on Manchester United contract talks

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After 18 months of being left out of the England set-up, Harry Maguire is back for the first time under Thomas Tuchel following his resurgence of form with Manchester United. Michael Carrick's change of system at Old Trafford has allowed Maguire to get back to his best, but the defender does not blame former manager Ruben Amorim - who he predicts will go on to achieve great things in the game.

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Harry Maguire has praised the work of Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, saying the manager steered the club in the right direction despite his ideas not landing with the current squad at Old Trafford.

Amorim was in charge for 14 months, but his time in the hot seat came to an end in January of this year after a disappointing start to the season led to his relationship with club officials reportedly becoming strained.

Darren Fletcher then took interim charge of the team, before Michael Carrick was given the job until the end of the season.

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United have since enjoyed a monumental turnaround in form and are well on course for UEFA Champions League qualification as they sit third in the Premier League with seven matches left to play.

Speaking about Amorim’s time at the club, Maguire said: "I don't really have much bad to say about Ruben. I really like Ruben. I think he's got great ideas. The ideas just didn't work at Manchester United.

"I do believe he'll go on and have an amazing career and at his next club he'll probably go and win many, many football matches.

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"It just didn't click or work and I think us as players have got to take a lot of responsibility for that as well.

"But I think he has led the club in a direction and I do think he deserves a lot of credit for that - where he's built a good, solid squad."

Maguire is one of the players who has shown a drastic change of form under Carrick, which is largely down to a change of system which has seen a back four reintroduced after Amorim’s determination to use three defenders backfired.

"The change of manager happened and that has helped with the form of the club and the formation we play," he added.

"When you play a certain way, especially me in the middle of a back three, you do play a bit different to a four. It [going to a four] has had a part to play. It must have, because the results before weren’t good enough."

Maguire has been rewarded for his improved form with a first England call-up since Thomas Tuchel took over as manager.

Ruben Amorim was sacked as Manchester United manager in January 2026

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With the World Cup on the horizon, it is a timely reintroduction to the set-up with Maguire - who had been a mainstay under Gareth Southgate - back with the group for the first time since September 2024.

He is part of Tuchel’s huge 35-player squad for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, and the defender hopes to make enough of an impact to avoid being cast into the wilderness once more.

"I've played 60-odd games for England, been to three major tournaments, but when you're in the moment and you're playing every game [for England], you don't want to say you take it for granted, but you get comfortable with the set-up," Maguire said.

"Then when it's taken away from you all of a sudden, it hurts. You see the team doing so well in qualifying, they've done amazing, so, yeah, it was an amazing feeling.

"I knew, to be honest, if I wasn't in this camp, I don't think I'd have been back in the England set-up with my form and how I've been playing - it's a high level, I believe - so it was amazing to get the phone call."

Having worked his way back into the England picture, Maguire is also hoping for some clarity over his club future, with his current deal at Old Trafford running out this summer.

"I think there's been talks [over a new contract]," Maguire said. "I think we'll reach an agreement where it's best for the club and myself.

"What that agreement is, I'm sure you'll find out over the next few weeks. But, yeah, I think it'll get sorted sooner rather than later, whether I stay or leave. But I think it will, it should, get sorted pretty soon.

”I love this club. But it's got to be right for myself, it's got to be right for the club as well.

"I don't want to be staying on a sentimental value. I want to be staying because I want to be there and the club want me to drive the club forward still, and they feel like I've got a big part to play in it.

"And if that's the case, then I'm sure we'll sit down and reach something."

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