'They will have to be on their game to keep their spot': Harry Maguire insists 'brilliant' Bruno Fernandes will have to get even BETTER when Paul Pogba returns from his long injury lay-off
* Harry Maguire has praised the impact of Bruno Fernandes since his £68m arrival
* Manchester United captain says he will 'lift his game' when Paul Pogba returns
* The Frenchman is closing in on full fitness after playing only eight times this term
* Maguire also revealed that United are not content with just trying to finish fourth
Bruno Fernandes will need to 'lift his game even more' when Paul Pogba finally returns to the Manchester United team, according to captain Harry Maguire.
The Portugal star has been a revelation since his £68million move from Sporting Lisbon in January and was named the Premier League's Player of the Month for February after making an electric start.
There has been speculation that Fernandes' superb form could allow United to cash in on wantaway midfielder Pogba, who has played only eight times in all competitions this season due to injury, when the transfer window reopens.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire (right) spoke to Gary Neville on Sky Sports News
But Maguire believes the duo, who are yet to play alongside each other due to the Frenchman's fitness issues, will push each other on to greater heights, and that Fernandes will need to improve if he is to keep his place in the starting XI.
Speaking to former United skipper Gary Neville on The Football Show on Sky Sports News, Maguire said: 'He [Fernandes] has been brilliant since he's come in, off the field, around the training field. He is a leader, he wants to win, everything he does.
'He has been brought up with that attitude. He has given us that little bit more life, that little bit more creativity in the middle that we have missed over the years.
'It is a start. There are lots of aspects he wants to improve and I'm sure he will improve and get better for this club.
'We have Paul [Pogba] to come back and make him lift his game even more.
Maguire says Bruno Fernandes (left) has been 'brilliant' since joining United for £68million. Fernandes will need to improve when Pogba returns to action, according to skipper Maguire
'There is good competition for places in that central midfield now, they know every game they will have to be on their game to keep their spot and I'm sure we will see the benefits.'
Maguire also revealed that he and his team-mates are not satisfied with challenging for a place in the Champions League, and are already eyeing a title tilt under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer next season.
United were fifth in the table, three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, when the season was shut down to the coronavirus outbreak.
'I think from the start of the season, we look a lot more like a team, we can see where we want to go, where we want to head,' Maguire added.
'When I first came to United, Ole said it is building process but we will get to where we want to be and I can see where we're heading and the style he wants to implement on our team.
Maguire believes United are getting better as boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues his rebuild
'Don't get me wrong, there are lots of aspects we need to improve on to get to the top.
'We don't want to be challenging for this Champions League spot, we want to be challenging for titles. We know there is a lot of improvement to get there but we feel we are on the right track and eventually we will get there.'
United had been on an excellent unbeaten run prior to the postponement of the Premier League, and had kept clean sheets in nine of their previous 11 games.
'It has been a great run of form for clean sheets,' said Maguire.
'Sometimes you defend better when you concede one, two goals but we have managed to keep a clean sheet with David [de Gea] pulling off one or two great saves. Everyone is praising the defence.
'We have improved in defending set pieces. If you look back at our record before this run of clean sheets, we were up there with the worst in the league and if you can't defend set plays and are not scoring at the other end, you don't stand a chance in reaching where you want to go.
'We have gelled together more. It is a new back four. Luke [Shaw] has played really well of late. Eric [Bailly] has come back and started pushing for a place and everyone has upped their game as he has done well.
'We have a settled back four and we are learning each other's games really well. At the start of the season we conceded too many goals from set pieces and you look into that and you see one or two goals a game that could have been clean sheets.'
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