"I'm really enjoying my football" - Manchester United star says decision to stay at the club was the right one
Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire has reiterated that he made the right decision by staying put at Old Trafford this season. The defender made the comment after enjoying a new lease of life at the club in recent weeks.
Maguire was heavily linked with a departure away from the Red Devils during the summer transfer window after experiencing a torrid outing last season. West Ham United showed interest in snapping him up but the move eventually collapsed.
After being sidelined in the first few weeks of the season, Maguire has finally turned his situation around. The England centre-back has started each of Manchester United's last six games across all competitions, including the 1-0 victory over Luton Town in the Premier League last weekend.
After watching his situation change for good at Old Trafford, the 30-year-old is convinced that played the right card staying put at the club this season.
“I am really enjoying my football and I really enjoy playing for this club," he said (as quoted by Eurosport). “I was willing to stay and fight for my place, and we have four or five top international centre-backs at this club and the competition for places is really high.”
Harry Maguire went on to shed light on his recent struggles at Manchester United, ruing the limited playing time he was getting.
“I just didn’t play as many [games] as I would have liked,” he continued. "On the other hand, Rapha [Varane] and Licha [Martinez] were playing brilliantly and kept numerous clean sheets. I had to bide my time and be patient," he said.
The centre-back explained that injuries and illness limited his impact on the squad, but that he was once again finding his rhythm.
“I had two or three opportunities last season to get a run of games but I broke down with illness, I broke down with injuries twice, so I never got the rhythm and never got the run of games that I could prove myself to the manager. I have got that now,” the 30-year-old added.
What's next for Harry Maguire and Manchester United?
With the international break active this week, Manchester United will be out of action for two weeks. The Red Devils will be back in action on November 26 when they lock horns with Everton in a Premier League clash at Goodison Park.
Harry Maguire will leave Old Trafford to reunite with his England teammates in the meantime. The Three Lions are scheduled to go toe-to-toe with Malta and North Macedonia in World Cup qualifier matches on November 17 and 20 respectively.
The Englishman has made 10 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions so far this season, recording one goal and one assist to his name. It remains to be seen if he can maintain his spot in the team going forward.