The future of Manchester United’s Harry Maguire is under intense scrutiny. The 30-year-old centre-back, who still captains the club, has seen his position at Old Trafford become increasingly precarious, with his place in the England squad under constant scrutiny.
Maguire has fallen down the United pecking order since the arrival of Erik ten Hag and is now used as a back-up to Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane. This shift has resulted in Maguire making just 16 Premier League appearances last season, often left as an unused substitute.
Despite the challenges, Maguire, whose contract runs until 2025, intends to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford. However, England boss Gareth Southgate has written a brutal message to Maguire about his future at Manchester United.
“He is captain of an incredible football club so that is a difficult situation,” Southgate said. “He will obviously be frustrated not to play as much as he would like but I think he has handled that really well.”
Southgate’s comments came after England’s 7-0 rout of North Macedonia — their fourth win in four qualifying games for Euro 2024. The England manager further added, “We have got a few players with a lot going on, really. They have managed to park that brilliantly in their period with us but there is potentially quite a few moves this summer that would be hugely important for their own careers, never mind for us.”
The England manager has indicated that an ongoing lack of playing time at Manchester United could impact Maguire’s international role. When asked if Maguire needs to play more, Southgate was clear, “I think him and Kalvin are the two who have played the least in terms of guys in this squad this season. But we have gone with them because in these two positions we think they are still ahead of others that might have played more.”
In the midst of this, Southgate is braced for a summer of transfer movement in his squad, admitting that Maguire — and Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips — needed more frequent opportunities to prove their form and fitness.
