Leicester vs Manchester United: Harry Maguire issues warning to former club

Centre-back left the King Power for Old Trafford last summer in the most expensive transfer ever for a defender

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has issued a warning to his former club Leicester ahead of the teams’ Premier League clash on Sunday.

Maguire left the King Power for Old Trafford last summer in the most expensive transfer ever for a defender, and now takes on his old side in a final-day fixture with huge implications in the Champions League race.

United are third in the table on 63 points, level with Chelsea and one point ahead of Leicester. If United and Chelsea – who take on Wolves – draw in their respective games, they will both secure a place in Europe’s elite competition for next term.

If Leicester beat United, however, the Foxes will join Chelsea in the Champions League next season.

“We won’t be going to Leicester and playing for the draw, that’s for sure,” Maguire told MUTV. “We’ll go into the game wanting to win it. We want to get the three points, we’ll approach it like we approach any other game.

“At the start of the season we wanted to reach the top four – a lot of people didn’t think we would come Christmas, but we’ve put ourselves in a great position now and it’s an exciting game to be involved in.

“It’s really important [to play Champions League football]. I joined this club to win the biggest trophies and the Champions League is one of the biggest of them all. As a club and a player we want to be in the Champions League, so it’s really important to be there.”

Maguire has played every single minute of United’s 37 top-flight games so far this season, and will be looking to be on the field for the term’s final 90 minutes against Leicester.

“You join Manchester United because you want to play in the biggest games possible,” the centre-back said. “You want to play in high-pressure games and you just prepare the best you can.

“We played in midweek against West Ham, so you recover, eat, sleep and prepare like you would for any other game, work hard on the training pitch and make sure you’re ready.

“The main thing is to enjoy the game and enjoy the occasion. You’ll look back at these big pressure and high-stakes games at the end of your career and hopefully you’ll have fond memories.”