Manchester United centre-back Maguire, together with his father Alan Maguire, participated in The Overlap program and was interviewed by Ian Wright. During the period, he talked about the price of 80 million pounds when he moved to Manchester United. He claimed that he did not care about the price at first. He also talked about the season when Manchester United signed Ronaldo, Varane and Sancho.
Ian Wright, after the 2018 World Cup, how did you feel about your performance at that time? Because I remember your name is associated with many clubs, especially Manchester United. I think you're starting to hear the message from Manchester United. So after two years at Leicester City, the move came up. £80 million, right?
Maguire: Yeah, I know.
Ian Wright said, yes, it is indeed extremely crazy. I want to know what you think when you hear, "Oh my God, this guy wants 80 million."
Allen said that he felt that at that time, it was either Manchester United or Manchester City, right, both of them were interested. He has always supported a move to Manchester United. However, at that stage, he felt that the person had already made up his mind because Manchester United had planned to sign that person the year before. What he means is that Manchester United is his second home team. So the man ended up signing for Manchester United, which was a dream come true.
Maguire said that the transfer fee was actually quite meaningful because at that time, I didn't think about it at all. I didn't even take a look at the specific number of the transfer fee.
Ian Wright said that he still remembers that when he left Crystal Palace to join Arsenal, the transfer fee was 2.5 million pounds. At that time, he watched TV and was full of fear, just because there were street interviews on TV, and Arsenal fans asked about signing him as a player. These people all said, "We don't need him, why sign him?" He was extremely worried about the amount of money. Because he believes that Alan Shearer's transfer fee is 3.5 million, and Roy Keane's transfer fee is about 3.75 million. It's the amount of money that's at that amount level. So he was thinking, your transfer fee is 80 million, but you don't care at all. How did you achieve it? Obviously Van Dijk is worth 75 million and then people compare you… How did you get through that period?
Maguire said, yes. To be honest, I really don't know, I just don't care. Frankly, I don't worry about most things. I am extremely relaxed and will not be disturbed by many things.
Moreover, at that time, I really had no idea about the transfer fee at all. Obviously, Van Dijk went to Liverpool at that time and led Liverpool to another level. The performance he showed was completely beyond imagination. So, it’s actually only now when I look back at the transfer fee that I can’t help but say, “Wow, what kind of situation is this?” Do you understand?
But more often than not, this situation will only appear when you reach this stage of your career and look back. But at the time, all I wanted to do was start playing football. My physical condition is in good condition, and my mental condition is also in good condition. In the first two years, I think I played a great role and everything seemed to go very smoothly.
Just at a club like Manchester United, you can only really gain accolades when you win major trophies. However, there was no possibility of winning trophies in our first two years. I still remember the season before I signed we were in seventh place…then we were third, then second, and then it felt like 'this is our chance', but it didn't work out. We signed Cristiano Ronaldo, Varane and Sancho that summer. After finishing second the season before, that (2021/22) season was a complete disaster from start to finish. That was definitely the worst moment.