Harry Maguire believes he is in a "good place" and is ready to play a key role in what could be a big season for Manchester United.
Maguire started alongside Lisandro Martinez as United started their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Fulham on Friday, Joshua Zirkzee coming on to net a late winner on his Red Devils debut.
Maguire was expected to leave Old Trafford this time last year but chose to stay and fight for his place, ultimately making 22 Premier League appearances as fellow centre-backs Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof were plagued by injuries.
The England international started 18 league games last campaign, having only recorded eight starts throughout Erik ten Hag's first season at the helm in 2022-23.
A calf injury prevented Maguire from featuring for England as they finished as runners-up to Spain at Euro 2024, but he feels physically and mentally ready for his sixth season with United.
"I feel good, I feel fit. Physically and mentally, I'm in a good place and I'm looking forward to a big season," Maguire told the club's media channels.
"There are so many games this season. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of changes to come, game to game, in the starting eleven.
"When your turn is upon you, you need to take your chance. It's one that we'll need a big squad for. I feel fit and ready to go and I'm looking forward to the season."
United's eighth-place finish in 2023-24 was their lowest in the Premier League era, while they also conceded more league goals (58) than in any campaign since 1978-79 (63).
However, the Red Devils did finish the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final – a result that likely saved Ten Hag's job as the Dutchman was handed a new contract.
Maguire wants to deliver further silverware in 2024-25 but is also aware of the need for an improved league showing, adding: "Obviously, we want to be in the Champions League spots.
"We missed out for this season as we weren't good enough in the league. I think we don't really want to set any targets but I think this club demands trophies.
"We want to win another trophy, of course, and in the Premier League we know there's large improvements that we need to make from what we did last season.
"For sure, we've got to improve on last season and let's see where it takes us."
Cavalier SC, Mount Pleasant Academy set for opener of 2024 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup at Sabina Park
Cavalier SC and Mount Pleasant Academy both expressed optimism ahead of their clash to open the 2024 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday.
The two teams most recently met in a thrilling final of the Jamaica Premier League in May which Cavalier won 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out.
Head Coach of Cavalier, Rudolph Speid, doesn't expect that result to give his side a mental edge going into Tuesday's clash.
"The phenomenon of this clash is that every time we meet, Mount Pleasant has a new team and we have a lot of changes. It's a new game all over and we just expect to win this particular game," he said in a pre-match press conference on Monday.
The teams will compete in Group A of the ten-team tournament alongside fellow JPL outfit Arnett Gardens FC, Real Hope FC out of Haiti and Police FC out of Trinidad & Tobago.
Cavalier were runners-up in last year’s inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup, losing the two-legged final by a combined score of 3-0 to Surinamese outfit Robinhood FC.
Something synonymous with Cavalier over the years is their willingness to use young players and Head Coach Rudolph Speid says this will continue to be the team’s policy going forward.
“We don’t have much new faces. Some of the younger players from our youth teams are the ones that have stepped up. That has been our policy and our motto. Every single year, Cavalier will field young players who came through our ranks.”
Despite this inexperience, Speid expects good things from his players when the time comes.
“They know what to expect. Some of them have pretty big shoes to fill and I’m confident that they will do well,” he said.
Trinidadian attacker Kaile Auvray, who joined Cavalier from Mount Pleasant recently, is hopeful that his insight on his former team will give them an added advantage tomorrow.
“Obviously being a former Mount Pleasant player, I know my former teammates very well so I’ll be sure to communicate things that can help us be successful,” he said.
On the other hand, this will be Mount Pleasant Academy’s first time competing in the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup, an achievement that is not lost on Head Coach Harold Thomas.
“It’s been a long-awaited arrival for Mount Pleasant at this level. Our preparation has been relatively smooth. Short period of time but we were able to implement all the things we wanted to. We’re happy with where we are,” he said.
“We are all excited as a club,” said Mount Pleasant skipper Sue-Lae McCalla about playing in their first CONCACAF Caribbean Cup.
“It’s a good feeling. For a new club, the first time so it’s a lot of excitement for us,” he added.
Normally, playing in a tournament of this magnitude for the first time would have a team feeling some pressure.
For Coach Thomas, however, this is not the case.
“Absolutely not,” was his response to questions about whether or not his team is feeling the pressure ahead of tomorrow’s game.
“This is what we live for. For us, it’s just a matter of getting all things right,” he said.
Gasperini joins exclusive club by passing 550 points with Atalanta
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini joined an exclusive club on Monday as La Dea's 4-0 win at Lecce saw him pass the landmark of 550 Serie A points with a single club.
Marco Brescianini and Mateo Retegui both scored twice as the Europa League holders got their Serie A campaign off to a flying start at the Stadio Comunale Via del Mare.
The victory saw Gasperini – who joined Atalanta in 2016 – reach 552 points in charge of the Bergamo club, who he led to a fourth-place finish in Serie A last term.
Only four coaches had previously collected 550 or more points with a single club in Serie A: Helenio Herrera with Inter, Carlo Ancelotti with Milan (both 557), Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus (663) and Giovanni Trapattoni, who collected 770 also with the Bianconeri.
Lionel Messi absent for Argentina World Cup qualifiers after Copa America injury
Lionel Messi has been omitted from Argentina's upcoming World Cup qualifiers as he continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained in the Copa America final.
The superstar forward limped off a little over an hour into La Albiceleste's 1-0 victory over Colombia in Miami on July 14 and has not featured since.
Messi, 37, did not play in the MLS All-Star game, with his club side Inter Miami confirming he had sustained ligament damage to his right ankle and no timeline has been put on his return.
Lionel Scaloni has the likes of Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez and Nicolas Gonzales to call upon, while Lazio forward Valentin Castellanos earns a first call-up.
Argentina face Chile in Buenos Aires on September 5 before travelling to Bogota for a rematch with Colombia five days later.
Scaloni's side, who are hoping to defend their World Cup title in 2026 by qualifying for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, are top of CONMEBOL qualifying with five wins from six matches.
The top six nations from CONMEBOL qualify for the tournament, while seventh place goes into a play-off for an additional berth.
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