Manchester United defender Harry Maguire praised coach Michael Carrick for the turnaround in the club’s fortunes after a 2-1 Premier League win over Brentford that leaves it close to a return to the Champions League after finishing 15th last season.
United sacked previous coach Ruben Amorim in January after a turbulent 14-month spell at the helm that saw the players struggle to get to grips with his tactics, and Maguire credited his successor Carrick with restoring the team’s confidence and getting it back to winning ways.
“We had two tough fixtures when Michael first came in, and I think everyone was probably looking at them thinking ‘oh no’, with Arsenal and Man City, and we managed to get the six points,” Maguire told Sky Sports after setting up Casemiro for the first goal against Brentford.
“Everyone’s believed in it, and we’ve gathered together. We’ve got the confidence. We know that we can score goals from anywhere.”
Third-placed United looked comfortable as it cruised to a win that moved it to 61 points in the standings, 11 ahead of sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion with four games left to play and five teams qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
United has won nine of its 13 games under Carrick, paving the way for a return to Europe’s biggest club competition.
“The results speak for themselves - since the manager has come in, and the formation has changed, we just seem to pick up results. I think that the games previous, when Ruben was here, the games were fifty-fifty, but we always ended up on the back of a defeat,” Maguire explained.
“Now it seems like it’s the other way around, where we’re a lot better in both boxes. We defend our box a lot better, and we’re managing to be clinical in the other box.”
Published on Apr 28, 2026