Harry Maguire 'not short of options' if he decides to leave Manchester United this summer; England defender left angry by treatment and feels he has been effectively put up for sale; Maguire was stripped of Man Utd captaincy on Sunday
Monday 17 July 2023 13:47, UK
Harry Maguire will not be short of options if he decides to leave Manchester United.
Maguire was told on Sunday by Erik ten Hag that he was losing the United captaincy. He had a feeling it was coming because a story about it appeared in the media early last week.
The 30-year-old will always give 100 per cent for United every day. He fought hard to become a professional footballer and he has dealt with adversity before.
He is angry about what has happened and feels like he has effectively been put up for sale. The way he is treated on social media has had an adverse effect on how he is perceived.
He is very well-respected in the United and England dressing rooms.
Maguire has been told by Gareth Southgate he needs to be playing regularly to keep his place in the England starting XI at next summer's Euros. He has three years left on his United contract with the option of another year.
He was in the Euros team of the tournament in 2021, and was named in the Sky Sports team of the 2022 World Cup in December.
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
"It would be fair to say that Maguire is unhappy and angry about what's happened. The good news is that he won't be short of options, despite some of the level of things you read on social media and how he's ridiculed and targeted.
"People are very well aware of his quality, his talents and his leadership qualities. People have short memories - just a few months ago he was in the Sky Sports team of the Qatar World Cup, and a year before that he was in the official UEFA team of Euro 2020.
"He's still got a lot to offer, it might not be at Man Utd, but he's going to take his time and consider his options - and he's not short of them."
Maguire is already being closely monitored by clubs in the Premier League and abroad, with West Ham among those interested in the England international.
The Hammers are thought to be exploring the option of either a loan or a permanent deal for the 30-year-old defender. However, they are aware wages could prove to be a problem if a deal was to be agreed between the clubs.
United manager Ten Hag has always maintained any decision will effectively rest with the player, who is contracted to the club until the summer of 2025.
The club have thanked Maguire for his contribution as captain over the past three and a half years, adding that the manager will announce their new captain in due course, after he has informed the players.
Due to training and travel schedules, they confirmed a new captain will not be announced before the squad travel to New York for pre-season later this week. They travel to the USA after a friendly against Lyon at Murrayfield on Wednesday.
West Ham have identified alternative targets to Maguire, and are looking at Torino's Perr Schuurs, Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah and Luiz Felipe from Real Betis.
Maguire confirmed on social media on Sunday he is no longer captain of Manchester United following talks with Ten Hag.
It was reported earlier this month Ten Hag was ready to remove Maguire from the role after the England defender's limited appearances under the Dutchman last season.
The central defender made just eight Premier League starts, leading to ongoing speculation over his future at Old Trafford.
"After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain," Maguire wrote on Twitter.
"He outlined his reasons to me and whilst I'm personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt.
"So I wanted to say a massive thank you to the Manchester United fans for all their brilliant support whilst I've been wearing the armband.
"Since the day I took on the role, three-and-a-half years ago, it's been a huge privilege to lead Manchester United and one of the proudest moments of my career to date. It's one of the greatest honours in club football. I've done everything I possibly could to help United be successful - on and off the field.
"I will always be grateful to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for first giving me the responsibility and I wish whoever now takes it on every success and they will have my full support."
A Man United statement said: "Everyone at Manchester United thanks Harry for his contribution as captain over the past three-and-a-half years. The manager will announce the new captain in due course, after he has informed the players."
United We Stand founder Andy Mitten on Sky Sports News:
"Harry Maguire had effectively lost his place in Manchester United's team last season and I think it's safe to assume the manager wants his captain playing for him all the time.
"A lot of United fans will back the manager [in terms of his decision]. The manager has done well so far at the club, but, clearly, it's not a good day for Harry Maguire.
"He's got two years left [on his contract] and the possibility of another year, but footballers want to play football. Clearly he can't have another season like last year.
"I don't think that he played that badly when he played. Clearly, Harry is a decent player. He's shown that for Manchester United enough, he's shown that for England.
"[But] Harry Maguire does not want to be Manchester United's fifth-choice central defender. He wants to play football.
"From Manchester United's perspective if the club got a really good offer then I am sure they would like to negotiate that because he is one player you could get tens of millions for."
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
