Maguire says he grew up watching the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson and that was the reason why he could not resist saying no to join Old Trafford.
After joining Leicester City from Hull City for £12 million in 2017, Maguire quickly rose to prominence, becoming one of the best center-backs in the Premier League.
Manchester United and Manchester City were all said to be interested in the Sheffield-born star, but it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side who won the race to sign Maguire for £80m from Leicester, a world record fee for a defender.
The 28-year-old has since established himself as one of the most important players under Solskjaer, he is the current club captain and has made over 100 appearances for United.
Speaking to Gary Neville on his The Overlap YouTube channel, Maguire explained why he chose Manchester United.
“I spoke to City and I spoke to United but I grew up watching more of United – no disrespect to City – but I grew up watching more of United football, Old Trafford, being one of the biggest teams in the world,” he said.
“I always had my heart set on this club. I spoke to Pep and obviously the football they play and what he’s done for the club. I have great respect for Pep and what he’s brought to football.
“But it was United – my heart was set from the amount of interest they showed in me. For them to pursue it over 12-15 months. It just shows how much they believed in me and how much I’d be part of the team.
“The first time I spoke to Ole he told me how much I could come in and improve the team.
“It was a time when as a club at United it wasn’t where it needed to be. They were conceding a lot of goals. I knew I wouldn’t be the final part of the jigsaw.
“I knew that I would sign for a huge fee and there would be times we’d concede goals, lose games and scrutiny would come.
“I knew I couldn’t go into that team and win the title by five points, it wasn’t possible. I knew I had to go in and improve year by year and I think we’re doing that but there’s a long way to go.”
