Harry Maguire has urged his Manchester United teammates to enjoy the occasion this afternoon as they face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.
United can end a six-year trophy drought at Wembley by getting their hands on the cup, but face a Newcastle side equally desperate after going 68 years without major domestic silverware. The pair played out a 0-0 draw in October, and today's meeting is expected to be equally tight and tense.
Club captain Maguire is likely to start on the bench, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane having established themselves as Erik ten Hag's first-choice pairing. But the 29-year-old brings into the dressing room valuable big-game experience, having played in the Euro 2020 final with England.
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“Go out and enjoy it," Maguire told his teammates via MUTV. "Play with lots of intensity and take it all in really. Play with a smile on your face. I feel a big part of football is when you’re enjoying your football and you’re playing with a smile on your face, you bring the energy.
“You bring the energy and the intensity to your performance, so yeah, I think that’s the main message: go out, take it all in, enjoy it and win the game.”
One of Ten Hag's major vows when he took charge of United last year was to bring silverware back to Old Trafford, and a gap of six years since the 2017 Europa League victory remains far too long for a club of United's stature. Maguire was on the bench for United's last final, again in the Europa League against Villareal in 2021, and insists making it all the way to the showpiece event means nothing if you don't win.
“Winning trophies is what this club’s about,” he added. “It demands winning trophies. It’s been far too long since our last one, so we’ve got a good opportunity to win a trophy, and we have to do it for ourselves, for the club and obviously for our fans, because they’ve waited far too long as well.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position, but there’s no point in going to a final if you’re going to lose it. We need to be ready and focused, and we will be."
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