Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has reportedly been offered an Old Trafford escape – with a Premier League club interested in taking him on loan.
The 29-year-old has fallen down the pecking order since Erik ten Hag’s arrival in the summer, becoming United’s fourth-choice in central defence.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez was Ten Hag’s preferred partnership before the World Cup break. Since club football resumed, Luke Shaw has impressed next to Varane despite being played out of position.
It means Maguire’s game time has been limited. The Red Devils skipper has featured eight times in the Premier League, with only four of those being starts.
Two of those came in the opening two weeks of the campaign, which saw United lose 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion and get humiliated 4-0 at Brentford.
Ten Hag decided to faze Maguire out didn’t come as a surprise. The England international had underwhelmed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick in 21/22 as United recorded their lowest-ever Premier League points tally.
He’ll likely need a move away to revitalise his club career. Maguire remains an ever-present in Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate’s plans, helping England to the World Cup quarter-finals.
If he wants to keep that place and add to his 53 caps, he’ll need to be playing regular football. Per the Mirror, West Ham United are interested in securing his services.
The Hammers slipped into the relegation zone over the weekend, with pressure continuing to mount on David Moyes. West Ham are likely to allow Craig Dawson to join Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Maguire seen as an ideal replacement.
United spent £80 million on Maguire back in 2019 to make him the most expensive defender in world football. He became captain in January 2020 following the departure of Ashley Young.
Despite helping United to third and second-place finishes, he struggled last season. Reports claim Ten Hag is prepared to part with the former Leicester City man in the summer.
There is an acceptance among the United hierarchy that they won’t get anywhere near the fee they paid three-and-a-half years ago.
Ten Hag admires Maguire’s professionalism but believes he is too slow on the ball to fit into his ideal team. United are currently fourth in the Premier League after defeating bitter rivals Manchester City on Saturday.
Maguire came on in added time during that game. He posted to Twitter at full-time: “What a day, unbelievable atmosphere. . Manchester is RED.”
