Recently, ahead of his upcoming match with Man United against Rosenborg, Man United center-back Maguire highly praised the Norway national team's World Cup journey in an exclusive interview with Norway's Dagbladet, stating that their performance in this summer's tournament was unforgettable.

"Norway impressed everyone."

After watching England secure third place at the World Cup and Norway shine on the World Cup stage, Maguire enjoyed a well-earned vacation.

This week, the center-back and other Man United players are back in Norway, this time with a deeper understanding of the Nordic country's football prowess.

In an exclusive interview with the Norwegian media outlet Dagbladet, Maguire first discussed Norway's performance at the World Cup.

"I watched Norway's games at the World Cup, and they were really excellent. They impressed everyone," Maguire said.

“They lost to England because of bad luck.”

This Thursday, a star-studded Man United squad will travel to Trondheim, Norway, for a warm-up match against Rosenborg.

Before the match against Rosenborg, the experienced Maguire gave a lengthy interview to Dagbladet, and Norway's performance at the World Cup—especially their quarter-final match against England—naturally became a major topic.

Ultimately, Norway lost to England after extra time, missing out on a place in the World Cup semi-finals. However, the match was also marked by considerable controversy.

Incidents during the match, including the overhead camera cable and Hegerberg's disallowed goal, became the focus of Norwegian and international media after the game.

Regarding this, Maguire said: "They were a bit unlucky to lose to England in the quarter-finals. It was a 50/50 game."

"Norway have a very strong team, and it's great to see that they are already capable of competing at the highest level in the world. They have a bright future."

Maguire missed out on the World Cup, expressed disappointment.

Maguire himself did not make it into England's World Cup squad and could only watch as the team competed from the sidelines.

At the time, the Man United defender was clearly very disappointed, expressing his regret on social media, while his mother also publicly criticized England's decision to omit her son.

Maguire's mother, Zoe, wrote on social media at the time: "Absolutely disgusting."

However, this disappointment did not last long.

Maguire subsequently appeared in New York, watching the team's matches with England fans and cheering on England.

Praising the Norwegian duo: Haaland and Ødegaard are both world-class.

During his time in the United States, Maguire gained a deeper understanding of Norway’s dynamic national team.

Although he was already very familiar with the successes of Haaland, Ødegaard, and Bodø/Glimt in European competitions in recent years, Norway's performance at the World Cup still surprised him.

Maguire particularly acknowledged the two core players in the Norway team.

“They are both world-class players and seem to be very friendly people. They are not only excellent footballers but also good people.”

"I want to pay tribute to this country and this national team."

He then added: "Of course, it’s not just the two of them who performed well in this tournament; many Norwegian players also had a brilliant World Cup. The Norway team’s overall squad is well balanced, and the age structure is very reasonable. I believe this team will become even stronger in the future and have the opportunity to compete in many major tournaments to come. They will be a force to be reckoned with."

Praises Haaland but still considers Rooney the best striker.

Maguire is set to embark on his eighth season with Man United.

During his time at Old Trafford, he has faced many of world football's top strikers.

Haaland is naturally one of them, and Maguire spoke highly of the Norwegian striker.

"He is an excellent footballer. You can see it from his statistics, and his performance at the World Cup was also amazing."

"When you face him, you can't relax for even a moment; otherwise, he will punish you."

However, despite Haaland becoming one of the most threatening attackers in world football thanks to his strong physique, astonishing speed, and iconic long blonde hair, Maguire believes the best striker he has ever encountered is not the Norwegian superstar.

After a brief pause, Maguire gave a clear answer: "It has to be Wayne Rooney."

"Norway is a beautiful country, and it's great to be here."

Maguire joined Man United in 2019, when the team’s manager was Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

A very close relationship formed between the two, and Dagbladet will report further on their story in subsequent reports.

However, this Friday, Maguire will not face Rooney or Haaland.

His opponent will be Rosenborg.

Speaking about the match, Maguire said: "We are looking forward to this game. Our opponent is a historically strong team in Norway. This will be a good opportunity for us to get more playing time and get back in shape."

He also specifically mentioned the Man United fans in Norway. "We have always felt the warm welcome from the fans here."

“We know that the fans here love football very much, and we also know that Man United have fantastic supporters here.”

"This is a beautiful country, and we are very much looking forward to coming here again."

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