His arrival not only boosted the club’s defensive performances, but his composure and ability on the ball also helped to improve their possession percentage by nearly 2 percent, from 54.5 percent to 56.2 percent. While the Red Devils also signed right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace and winger Daniel James from Swansea City, there is absolutely no doubt that Maguire was crucial in changing United’s fortunes for the better.Īlong with their improved 3 rd- place finish in 2019/20, United also managed to concede just 36 league goals, 18 fewer than the previous season and just 3 fewer than Premier League champions Liverpool. Harry Maguire, the club’s reported number one transfer target, joined from Leicester City in early August. The summer of 2019 saw United spend a world record transfer fee for a defender, understood to be £80 million. The oft criticized trio of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo combined for a total of 41 starts in the league, and the club was determined to tighten a leaky defence. When the 2018/19 Premier League season concluded, Manchester United finished in a disappointing 6 th place, a season in which they conceded a total of 54 league goals, more than any other club inside of the top 6.