Man Utd to be left with ANOTHER Phil Jones

Tom Weber

• Updated: 9 Jun 2023 11:31 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United are looking to offload captain Harry Maguire, but the player is reportedly reluctant to leave.

The defender has seen his game time at Old Trafford diminish as the seasons went on, being left mainly on the outside looking in by new United boss Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman has preferred a centre-back pairing of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, while Victor Lindelof and even nominal left-back Luke Shaw have been preferred in the absence of United's first-choice defenders.

A lack of confidence has affected Maguire's decision-making and timing - a strong point of his before - meaning that when he has featured in the demanding system of Ten Hag, he has often been left exposed.

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Still a regular for England, Gareth Southgate has hinted previously that Maguire needs regular game time to keep his place in the national team, and United are looking to get the player, who reportedly earns £190,000 per week, off their books.

Is Maguire the next Phil Jones?

Indeed, last week, reports surfaced that the Red Devils were prepared to use Harry Maguire as a makeweight in their bid to land Chelsea star Mason Mount, while more recently Tottenham have emerged as a potential destination.

Now, however, talkSPORT claims that offloading Maguire may not be such a straightforward affair for United. The player is said to be reluctant to leave and wants to stay at Old Trafford.

In response to this news, one fan took to Twitter to recall the situation of Phil Jones, who will leave United this summer after a mostly disastrous injury-hit 12 years at the club: "Can’t really blame him, he’s just witnessed Phil Jones sit and earn a wage without playing for 8 years."

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Jones has made just six Premier League appearances over the past four seasons, costing United a fortune in the process. The Red Devils will hope that the Harry Maguire saga won't devolve into a similar situation.