Manchester United captain, Harry Maguire, is leaning towards staying at the Old Trafford this summer despite his lack of starts under Erik ten Hag, according to a report.
Following a challenging and error-laden 2021-22 season, Maguire was bumped down the pecking order by Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez during the 2022-23 campaign.
The England international has retained possession of the armband, but he made just eight Premier League starts in the most recent season, where Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw were also preferred in the heart of the backline during Varane and Martinez’s injury-related absences towards the end of the season.
Maguire’s contract at Man. United has another two years left to run with the option of an additional 12 months, but he has been expected to end his turbulent stint at the Theatre of Dreams this summer in search of regular minutes.
Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have all been credited with an interest in Maguire, who would supposedly be in line for a £10m payout if he left Man. United in the coming weeks.
There have also been suggestions that the 30-year-old could be used as part of a player-plus-cash deal with Chelsea for Mason Mount, although it is unclear if the Blues would be open to such a proposal.
Despite his downturn in fortunes at Old Trafford, Maguire remains a key part of Gareth Southgate’s England setup, and has been called up to the squad for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
Southgate has admitted that Maguire’s playing situation is concerning, though, and the centre-back will need more minutes in the tank should he hope to retain his place in the Three Lions’ first XI for Euro 2024.
However, in a surprising turn of events, talkSPORT claims that the Red Devils skipper has now had a change of heart and wants to stay at Man. United for the 2023-24 season.
In spite of his status as the club’s fifth-choice centre-back, Maguire is supposedly still hoping to force his way back into Ten Hag’s good books, which could create a problem for the Dutchman in the transfer market.
Ten Hag had supposedly wanted to use the funds generated from Maguire’s sale to further Man. United’s pursuit of Napoli’s Kim Min-jae, who is understood to be their top defensive target for the summer window.
Napoli insiders apparently believe that the South Korea international will make the move to Old Trafford this summer, but Newcastle United could now steal a march on the Red Devils if Maguire stays put.
The former Leicester City man became the world’s most expensive defender when he signed for Man United in a £80m deal in 2019, and he has since scored seven goals and set up five more in 175 matches for the Red Devils in all tournaments.
Maguire featured 31 times for Ten Hag’s side during the 2022-23 season, but he played just two minutes off the bench in their EFL Cup final win over Newcastle, and was an unused substitute in the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Man. United have already confirmed that Phil Jones will depart this summer, while Axel Tuanzebe is expected to follow him out of the door, but Ten Hag will likely prioritise the signing of a new striker before weighing up any defensive reinforcements.-sportsmole
