Harry Maguire’s future at Manchester United is increasingly uncertain amid his drop in form over the last 18 months, which has seen him lose his place under Erik ten Hag.
Prior to Ten Hag’s appointment last year, Maguire was one of the first names on the teamsheet under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the England star repaid that trust with fine performances.
The took a turn for the worse at the start of the 2021/22 season and Maguire has struggled to recover from that, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane forging a seemingly unbreakable bond at the heart of United’s defence.
Additionally, it looks like Ten Hag also prefers left-back Luke Shaw over Maguire at centre-back, and that definitely spells bad news for Maguire as he enters the final two years of his contract.
Speaking ahead of this Sunday’s mouthwatering clash at Arsenal, Maguire has insisted he is ready despite not always playing, arguing all of United’s reserve players are itching to have an impact.
“I think subs throughout our season have been really important,” Maguire told United Daily, via the Manchester Evening News.
“They’ve scored some crucial goals, players have come on and had a big impact in the game. So we know it’s a squad game.
“Obviously everyone wants to start and everyone’s disappointed when they don’t start the games, but that’s the way it should be because we’re all footballers, we’re all competitive, we want to play football. But we’ve also got to be ready when we’re called upon.
“I think our fixture list from now until the end of the season is relentless, not much break, not much rest in between games. So I’m sure fresh legs will be used.
“And I think if you’re going to be a successful squad, it’s so important to have competition for places in each position, and I think we’ve got that in this team now.”
SN’s verdict…
Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s sensational resurrection at United should be an inspiration for every single one of those players and it truly shows that a return to being a first-team regular is never as far away as you might think.
It’s not long ago that Maguire was regarded as one of Europe’s most consistent defenders but as things stand, it does look like Ten Hag has made his mind up. Saying that, the same was said about Wan-Bissaka just over one month ago.
As Maguire points out, United’s fixture schedule is more hectic than ever and the captain will get his opportunity to impress – it’s now imperative that he takes it.
