Amorim believes Maguire is the ‘leader’ United need after a dismal run of Premier League form
United go into the game on the back of four straight defeats in all competitions and having not won at Anfield in nine years.
‘I am just focused on the performance. I have not focused on losing or what could happen. We had some losses, and we prepared this game to win. We know what we are going to face and we have to be prepared for a strong start from Liverpool.
‘He is a leader, he has to improve that part and he has to improve our game and we are happy to continue with him.
‘There are moments in the career of a player that are different and I think he coped very well with his struggles. When you look at our team, we are starving for leaders on the pitch.
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‘We know that it is going to be a tough moment, a really different context for both teams,’ he added. ‘They had that strong base for long years but we have worked this week to win the game.
‘I spoke with him this morning and I told him he has to improve his game on the pitch. We need him a lot and he also has to improve as a leader. We all know the situation he had here but we are going to trigger happily the option.
‘If you want to be a top, top team you have to be leaders and we have that in the dressing-room but they have to step up. We have a lot of young kids also and this moment is really hard. We can look at the table but you are still Manchester United.’
Amorim, who also revealed that Amad Diallo is close to agreeing a new deal, spoke to Maguire at Carrington on Friday morning and confirmed that he will extend the £190,000-a-week contract he signed after moving from Leicester City in 2019 for £80million.
Both Maguire and Diallo would become free agents in the summer if they don’t sign new terms.
Manchester United will trigger the one-year option in Harry Maguire’s contract at Old Trafford, with head coach Ruben Amorim calling on the former club captain to step up in a team ‘starving’ for leadership.
