Harry Maguire has disclosed that Manchester United keeps tabs on players during their holidays using GPS trackers and detailed training schedules, after he missed out on a World Cup call‑up and faces his longest break in years. The defender was left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad for this summer's tournament.
The 33‑year‑old, who also missed Euro 2024 with a calf injury, expressed his disappointment in a social media statement. '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.'
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Maguire said United sends him a GPS tracker to ensure he follows his prescribed fitness programme. '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,' he explained.
Maguire noted that this off‑season has been 'unusual' as he will have had six‑and‑a‑half weeks off before reporting for pre‑season training. 'We are back in I think Wednesday the 9th [of July],' he said, although it is understood the actual date is Wednesday, 8 July.
Michael Carrick will oversee his first pre‑season as head coach, with United set to play friendlies across Europe. The tour begins on 18 July against Wrexham in Helsinki, followed by matches against Rosenborg, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint‑Germain, Leeds United and AC Milan.
The Premier League campaign starts on 22 August with an away fixture against newly‑promoted Hull City at 12:30pm.
