Harry Maguire has revealed that Manchester United monitors its players' fitness during the off-season with detailed training schedules and GPS tracking, as he experiences his longest break in years after being omitted from England's World Cup squad. The 33-year-old defender was a surprise exclusion from Thomas Tuchel's England squad this summer.
Maguire's disappointment at missing the World Cup
Maguire did not hide his disappointment, releasing a statement on social media. "I was confident I could have played a major part this summer for my country after the season I've had," he wrote. "I've been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I've loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years. I wish the players all the best this summer."
This marks a second straight major tournament Maguire has missed, after being ruled out of Euro 2024 with a calf injury. When fit, he remained a regular in United's starting XI throughout last season.
United's fitness programme and GPS tracking
United have ensured that players not involved in international duty follow a detailed programme to maintain fitness levels, with each player equipped with a GPS tracker that sends data back to the club. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Maguire described the off-season as "unusual."
"We are back in I think Wednesday the 9th [of July]," he said. "This is the longest [break] I've had since I made my England debut. It's been nice, but it's been strange. I'll have had six-and-a-half-weeks off but then to be honest, the pre-season - I normally get about three weeks before the first game, this year I'm going to have six-and-a-half-weeks so I've got a long way to build up."
Maguire added: "Man United send you a schedule, they send you a GPS to make sure that you're doing it. Yeah, they keep on top of you."
Pre-season fixtures under Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick will oversee his first pre-season as head coach, with United set to play friendlies across several European countries this summer. Matches are scheduled in Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Republic of Ireland and Poland throughout July and August.
The tour begins on July 18 with a meeting against Wrexham in Helsinki. United then travel to Trondheim to face Rosenborg on July 24, before taking on Atletico Madrid in Stockholm on August 1. Further fixtures follow against Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on August 8, Leeds United at Dublin's Croke Park on August 12, and AC Milan in Wroclaw on August 15.
Premier League season opener
The Premier League campaign gets underway shortly after, with United opening their season on Saturday, August 22, away to newly-promoted Hull City in a 12:30pm kick-off.
