Harry Maguire says Manchester United cannot be satisfied with third place finishes and semi-finals, with the skipper determined in his ambition to lead the club to Europa League glory.
Sevilla await Sunday at Stadion Koln for what is only United’s second European semi-final since Sir Alex Ferguson called the moment in his medal-rich managerial career in 2013.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have already retired in the last four of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this season, frustrating moments that their third place in the Premier League helped take the lead.
But the England international knows that for a club so synonymous with success, it is not enough to be promising and get close.
“I joined this club to win trophies,” the world’s most expensive defender told the PA news agency. “Getting to the semi-finals is not enough for this club.
“It’s been a promising year in the Premier League, we finished third. Again, it’s not something this club wants to do, finish third, but at the start of the season from where we were last year, I’m sure a lot of people would have taken it.
“But for the future, that’s not where we want to be. We want to win trophies, Premier League and other cups.
“So the semifinals are nice to reach, but you really have to get the job done and reach the final and then win it.”
United have not won a trophy since winning the Europa League in Stockholm in 2017, just 10 days after Maguire was relegated from the Premier League with Hull.
The 27-year-old has since started and helped England reach the World Cup semi-finals the following year, while his fine form in Leicester brought the £ 80 million record to move to Old Trafford last summer. .
Maguire was rewarded for his immediate impact having been named United captain midway through his first season, and is hoping to end the campaign by lifting the Europa League high on Friday.
“Obviously I’m really proud to be the captain of this club, proud to play for this club,” said the defender. “I joined this club to win trophies. I absolutely expect to win trophies while in this club.
“Obviously when you could lift a trophy in a week it is exciting – such an exciting time for me and such an exciting time for the team to be competing so late.
“As I said, now that we have reached this point, we have to go and push and really improve in the semifinals that we have already reached and take another step forward.”
Having emerged 1-0 victorious after Monday’s “tough” quarter-final slogan with FC Copenhagen went into extra time, Maguire says the team are rested, focused and eager to face Sevilla.
That match will be the center-back’s 55th of the season in the heart of United’s defense, with the England international playing 5,412 minutes to make the club and country’s mouth water in this period alone.
But Maguire is not feeling the negative effects of that workload, nor has the defender let himself be bogged down by negative moments during his first campaign at the club.
“I feel good, I feel good in myself,” he said. “I feel fine mentally, I feel fine physically.
“It’s something that, touching the wood, I have been lucky enough to do during my career, in terms of availability for most of the matches.
“Obviously I’ve had a few injuries here and there, but I haven’t collected much and that’s something I’m proud of.
“I think as a central defender you have to really take care of your body and make yourself really available for most games to get a consistent base in your team and to know what you are offering to the team.
“It is many minutes and the pressure to play for Man United, there is the pressure to win every game.
“As a defender, there will come a time when you can do better for goals and small mistakes on the spot. It’s how you react. It’s something I knew when I came to this club, the most important thing will be how I react to the little blips, and the ups and downs.
“I think you have to take it calmly, stay balanced and stay focused.”
