Erik ten Hag wants out of favour Manchester United star to stay amid links to rival PL clubs - Reports
According to talkSPORT host Sam Matterface, Erik ten Hag wants Harry Maguire to stay at Manchester United despite the player being linked with a move to rival Premier League clubs like West Ham United.
Maguire recently wrote on social media that he has been stripped of the club's captaincy, and Bruno Fernandes has since been named the new captain of the team. The recent turn of events has sparked rumors about Maguire's future.
Matterface, however, said that Ten Hag wants Maguire to stay, as he said (via talkSPORT):
“I understand that he [Maguire] remains relaxed about the situation. I think he’s told everybody that he’s going to knuckle down and work for the team. He’s got time left on his contract."
He added:
“I don’t think he’d be adverse to bit of public clarity from Manchester United. Does the manager need to come out and actually say ‘Harry Maguire is not for sale, so nobody waste time in making a bid’ because it just stops everyone talking about it."
Matterface furthered:
“I understand that Erik ten Hag has told him privately that he doesn’t want him to leave, he just wants to pick his own captain. If you don’t come out and say that to the general public, everybody believes that by taking away the captaincy then you are saying the complete opposite."
He further said:
“He wants to play, there’s no doubt about that. I think he’s pretty relaxed about the fact if he’s told by Manchester United he wants to leave, there will be people who come in for him."
Chelsea, West Ham United, and Newcastle United have been touted as potential destinations for Maguire if he leaves the Old Trafford club.
A look at Harry Maguire's Manchester United career so far
Harry Maguire joined Manchester United from Leicester City for a world record fee of £80 million in 2019. He has made 175 appearances for the Old Trafford club so far.
The Englishman has been the club's captain as well. At one point, Maguire was an undisputed starter along with Victor Lindelof at the heart of the Red Devils' defense.
Maguire, however, has lost that position as Ten Hag prefers the duo of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane as his first-choice central defense pairing.
Maguire will need to fight for his place in a bid to get regular game time.