Harry Maguire may still have a future at Man Utd

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 20 Mar 2023 08:16 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has given an indication that Harry Maguire may have a future at the club.

The captain has been dropped to the bench with the Dutchman opting for Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in his starting XI.

In fact, the England international has made just five Premier League starts so far this season, with his last full 90 minutes coming against Real Betis in the Europa League last week.

And for his display in Spain, Ten Hag singled Maguire out for praise following the 1-0 victory over the Sevilla side.

The former Ajax boss said of the centre-back when asked about his performance. "I'm really happy with the progress that Harry is making in this moment. He's more dominant and dictating, he's taking more initiative on the training pitch and I think also in the Real Betis game, he showed leadership, especially in those aspects of initiative and dictating of the game."

There have been reports that Maguire will leave in the summer as Ten Hag begins his overhaul of the side. He has been linked with a move to the likes of Newcastle and even Chelsea while there were further reports that he may leave to Italy.

Maguire had the spotlight on him last season when Man Utd endured one of their worst-ever runs and subsequently, Ten Hag dropped him, with even full-back Luke Shaw being used over Maguire at times.

Maguire may be motivated by a move owing to the fact that England boss Gareth Southgate admitted that his lack of game-time may hamper his chances of playing for the Three Lions.

England spot on the line

Speaking after naming his squad for the March international break, the manager said: “We are where we were ahead of the World Cup - and it’s not a perfect scenario. Harry has got two World Cup winners currently ahead of him in the (United) team and that’s the benchmark. He dealt with it brilliantly in Qatar. His performances were exceptional.

“He had a lot of pressure going into those games because the spotlight was on him, but he was without doubt one of our best players in the tournament.”