Manchester United were heading out of the competition until a late comeback saw them overcome Lyon thanks to Harry Maguire’s late winner before his unexpected assist for Casemiro in the semi-final
Harry Maguire has said he will be ‘more than happy’ not to showcase his blossoming attacking talents on the grand stage in Bilbao.
The Manchester United defender was dubbed ‘Harry-dinho’ after some fancy footwork and a perfect cross from a wide position set up the opening goal for Casemiro in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao at the venue for the showdown with Spurs. And Maguire was also the hero upfront when he headed in the winning goal in the dramatic 5-4 victory over Lyon in the second leg of their quarter-final at Old Trafford.
When asked if he fancies some more heroics in the final, Maguire smiled: “The manager has me dribbling every day in training up and down the wing. No, I found myself on the wing against Bilbao and managed to put a good cross in and Casa [Casemiro] scored the goal.
“In the Europa League game before that (the win over Lyon), the manager asked me to go up front in the later minutes of the game. But hopefully, tomorrow night I will not be going up front. I don’t want to be going up front and chasing the game, I want to be defending a lead from my position in defence. I am always happy to help, but also more than happy to play in my favoured position.”
READ MORE: Bruno Fernandes observation sums up Man Utd captain’s mentality – “A f***ing melon!”READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand names exact number of signings Ruben Amorim wants at Man Utd but there is a catch
And Maguire is hoping that victory over Spurs – giving Manchester United a European trophy and a place in next season’s Champions League – can help ease the disappointment of a disastrous Premier League campaign. He went on: “It is a frustration. When you play for this club you want to win every football match and this season we have been far too inconsistent.
“We haven’t won enough, in the Premier League it’s not been good enough. The Europa League has been different – we have performed at a high level and we have proven that we can beat anybody. I am sure next season we will improve an awful amount after a full pre-season.
“As players we are all looking forward to that but we have got a big game tomorrow night, and that’s first and foremost. It’s a special night, a special occasion – we have prepared well the last few days and it’s one that we are looking forward to.”
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
