Harry Maguire announced this past weekend that, after talks with Erik ten Hag, he is no longer Manchester United captain. After just eight starts in the league and seeing left-back Luke Shaw chosen ahead of him at centre-back on numerous occasions, the writing was on the wall.
I mean, your captain needs to actually play, right?
England manager Gareth Southgate relies heavily on Maguire in his setup, preferring a more defensive approach that gets the most out of Maguire’s traits and arguably compensates for his deficiencies by partnering him with two more defenders–four more if you count the wingbacks. He’s 30-years-old now and while he has been a mainstay for Southgate, the England coach has recently stated that his place in the England side is at risk if his minutes for United don’t increase.
Maguire isn’t a bad defender. And he’s definitely not as bad as some would have you believe; he just doesn’t fit ten Hag’s system and that’s okay. Getting back to him losing the captain’s armband, though, what does that mean for Maguire, his place at Manchester United, and his career?
Whether you rate him or not, Maguire’s lack of pace may not be a perfect fit in Ten Hag’s high line, but it hasn’t all been doom and gloom for the English defender since he joined United in the 2019 summer transfer window. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer brought Maguire to Old Trafford for a record fee at the time and in the Norwegian’s counter-attack system, Maguire was quite good. His stature allowed him to make more than a few defensive clearances and his passing range enabled United to quickly launch a counter attack after winning possession. Maguire’s performances stood out under Ole, as well, earning him a spot in the Team of the Week four times during the 19/20 season and an impressive five times the following season. We won’t talk about 21/22, because that was a bit of a dumpster fire for United as a whole.
West Ham have recently been linked with interest in Maguire and while it’s rumoured Manchester United are looking for £50 million to part with Maguire, it’s also been reported that £35 million could convince the Red Devils to sell. David Moyes’ Hammers don’t see a ton of the ball and ranked 18th in the league for average possession last season. They ranked second, however, for aerials won and Maguire could keep that number high should he move to London Stadium. His passing range and ability to pick out teammates in wider positions could improve West Ham’s overall pass completion and potentially even boost the Hammers’ counter attacking prowess. Spurs were linked with interest in Maguire this month, as well, and according to the football.london, the North London club “made checks on Maguire’s situation” as they review options at centre-back. On another note, Chelsea are the most recent Premier League club to be linked with Maguire.
There’s a chance Maguire could leave the Premier League altogether. Jose Mourinho pressed the United board to sign Maguire when the Portuguese manager was in charge of the Old Trafford dugout, but ultimately didn’t get his man. Currently managing Roma in the Serie A, Mourinho brought his former United defender, Chris Smalling, with him to the Stadio Olimpico and Smalling has done pretty well for himself in the Italian league. Roma won the Europa Conference League in 21/22 and made it to last season’s Europa League final, where they lost a shootout to Europa League masters, Sevilla, after a close match that went to extra time. It was reported in May that Roma were one of several Italian clubs interested in Maguire and Mourinho’s defensive system could suit Maguire. Could a move abroad to join a manager who has shown interest in Maguire be just the thing to get his career back on track and secure his spot in England’s starting eleven for the next few years?
Of course, there’s also the possibility that Maguire stays put at Manchester United, whether by choice or due to his high wages (higher, now that United have qualified for Champions League). In his social media announcement of losing the captaincy, Maguire stated that he’d continue to give his all when he puts on a United shirt and he could very well take losing the armband and Southgate’s recent comments about his England spot as a challenge to push himself and give Erik ten Hag something to think about when it comes to choosing a starting eleven.
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