Man Utd transfers: Harry Maguire sets record straight on his future amid surprising Erik ten Hag claim (original) (raw)

Harry Maguire has set the record straight on his Manchester United future, amid growing speculation the centre-back’s five-year spell at the club could end; while opening up on his relationship with manager Erik ten Hag.

Maguire swapped Leicester City for Man United in 2019 for £80m but he has struggled to live up to the price tag over the course of his 206 appearances for the club.

In that time, Maguire has regularly been criticised by the club’s fans, has repeatedly lost his place in the starting lineup under Ten Hag, and links with an Old Trafford exit have not abated.

Last summer, the former Hull City man was linked with a £30m move to West Ham but Maguire stayed and tried to fight for his place in the team; something he did with moderate success.

Despite his performances improving last season, a muscle injury forced him to miss United’s FA Cup triumph over Manchester City in May and that same problem ruled him out of Euro 2024, too.

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On that setback, he said during United’s pre-season tour of North America: “Yeah, it was probably the toughest moment of my career.

“I worked so hard throughout the year to get myself in a position where I was in a really good place physically and mentally to play in the FA Cup final and then thinking about the Euros after that.

“To then have an injury which was, to be honest, not a big injury – it was just a calf injury and only a three-week one… but I just had three setbacks with it.”

Another hurdle to overcome could come in the form of £52m new defensive signing Leny Yoro. The 18-year-old may be a starter with Lisandro Martinez for the new season and with the Red Devils targeting Bayern Munich’s Matthijs De Ligt and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, Maguire – who could be made available for £35m – could fall down the centre-back pecking order further still.

TEAMtalk sources revealed that United – who have been told to sell Maguire by Red Devils legend Dwight Yorke – want to sign De Ligt and Paris Saint-Germain ace Manuel Ugarte, but will have to sell first to make that a possibility.

And at the top of that list, for players who may fetch the Red Devils a sizeable fee, is Maguire, along with Scott McTominay, and Casemiro – while Christian Eriksen is attracting interest, too.

With Victor Lindelof possibly being put up for sale and doubts over Maguire’s Old Trafford future, with the 31-year-old out of contract in 2025, questions have been asked about what his future holds. But for the England man, his goal is clear.

Maguire eyes Man Utd stay

“Listen, until I get told ‘You’re up for sale or we want you to leave’ I want to play for this club and make it successful again,” Maguire said. “All the things I’m hearing and seeing from everyone involved is I’ll be part of this club for the future.

“Every summer and every transfer window at Manchester United, there are 15 players out of the door and we’re getting 45 players in. I think every player knows that’s what happens.

“I’m a player with only a year left on my contract with an option but if they come to me and say they don’t want me any more, of course I’ll look for options elsewhere, but that’s never been told to me.

“It is exciting times for everyone involved with the club and it is definitely going in the right direction again. As a player and someone who cares about the club it is really good to see.”

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‘We have a good relationship’

Maguire, who reportedly has an option in his contract to extend his deal a further 12 months, also appears to hold no ill will to manager Ten Hag – despite stripping the 6ft 4in defender of the captaincy.

“We have a good relationship. There’s a lot of respect there. When he changed captain, it was really disappointing on behalf of myself but it’s part and parcel of football, you have so many ups and so many downs you’ve just got to maintain that respect,” said Maguire.

“We have a bond and we respect each other highly enough to make the relationship work and we get on really well. He has shown we can beat the top teams and we have won two trophies in two years. The first season was really good, last season wasn’t. Last season was tough for Erik as well.

“There was so much uncertainty and the amount of injuries was freakish really but I am pretty confident that won’t happen this season. We have faith in the management team and the additions he has made are really good as well.”