Senior Man Utd star fears he must reluctantly ditch Ten Hag to achieve biggest aim; West Ham one of three possible destinations
A Man Utd star wants to remain at Old Trafford, though is quickly realising he must leave or run the risk of sabotaging an even bigger prize, per a report.
Erik ten Hag wasted no time stamping his authority on Manchester United upon taking charge. It took took just two games before the Dutchman ousted club captain Harry Maguire in favour of forming a Raphael Varane-Lisandro Martinez partnership at centre-half.
Maguire has been unable to win a starting role back and as the season has worn on, has fallen further and further down the pecking order.
Indeed, Luke Shaw has deputised in his customary left centre-back role on more than a handful of occasions in 2023.
Club legend, Rio Ferdinand, previously declared he’d want to “strangle” Patrice Evra if Sir Alex Ferguson had done to him what Ten Hag has done to Maguire with Shaw.
Ferdinand then claimed Maguire has “got to move”, and that’s a reality that appears to be dawning on the the 30-year-old too.
Indeed, the Daily Mail report Maguire is ‘growing increasingly fearful he may have to leave’ Man Utd this summer.
The veteran centre-half would prefer to stay and fight for his place. However, doing so and continuing to warm the bench could torpedo his hopes of starting for England at Euro 2024.
England boss Gareth Southgate has continued to select Maguire during the current campaign despite his demotion at club level. However, a second season out of the spotlight could ultimately prove fatal to his international ambitions.
The Mail add the ‘lack of faith’ shown by Ten Hag is concerning for Maguire who fears his situation is unlikely to change next season.
Multiple outlets have already claimed Man Utd have put Maguire up for sale this summer. Among them are talkSPORT, the Manchester Evening News and MailPlus.
However, the latest Mail piece rows back on those claims, stating United ‘are not desperate to sell’.
Yet with exits required before Ten Hag can spend big this summer, Maguire remains a key contender to make way if suitable offers arrive.
West Ham and Italian giants circling
On that front, the Mail add West Ham and Italian pair Inter Milan and Roma all showed interest in Maguire in January.
The report notes Maguire won’t lack for offers come the summer and any of those three sides may find Man Utd more receptive to a sale at season’s end than they were mid-way through the campaign.
Of course, it’s noted Maguire would likely have to accept a pay-cut on his roughly £190,000-a-week wages if leaving Man Utd.
However, if that means he returns to being a regular starter and nails down his starting role for England, it could be a price worth paying.
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