Harry Maguire interview: England defender opens up on defying the Man Utd critics to become an Old Trafford cult hero and irreplaceable member of Ruben Amorim's squad

"Maguire! Maguire! It's Maguire!" The excitement on the faces of the children is palpable as Harry Maguire casually strolls into their summer camp. The defender is a secret guest at the Manchester United Foundation’s multi-sport camp at Stretford Sport Village in the club’s heartlands, a 10-minute walk from Old Trafford.

He is serenaded with chants of "Oh Harry Maguire" before taking questions from the group of eight to 14-year-olds, many of whom come from low income backgrounds or live in areas of social deprivation. Maguire is quizzed on his toughest opponent (Harry Kane), his favourite game for United (his debut against Chelsea) and even if he prefers Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo (it’s Ronaldo). After fielding the questions, Maguire then joins in with the children for a match.

This is one of three camps taking place this summer in Manchester, as well as in Moss Side and Partington, offering children free meals and sporting activity as well as respite for their parents during the summer holidays. And best of all, they will be able to tell their friends and family about the time they played with a United hero, a former captain with 247 appearances and counting plus 15 goals, among them the barely-believable last-gasp winner against Lyon back in April.

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"It's amazing to be here with the kids," Maguire tells GOAL. "When you turn up and you see them chanting your name and just putting a big smile on their face, the energy is infectious and I take some of this energy and take it back to the training ground."

Maguire and his team-mates could certainly do with that childlike enthusiasm as they look to get off the mark for the season at Fulham on Sunday after their equally encouraging, equally frustrating defeat to Arsenal in their opening match.

"I think obviously the feeling is disappointment in the end because this club demands winning football matches and when you play for this club you should never get the feeling of being happy after the game if you don't win," he says. "So the first feeling is disappointing because we’re sat in the table with zero points and we know it should be more. However, you can look at pluses. The performance was a lot better, [we had] a lot more intensity, and we actually deserved to get something from the game."

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