It is surprising news that Harry Maguire, who was the captain of Manchester United from the 2022-2023 season, is only waiting for Erik ten Hach to be replaced.
England Football Insider said on the 21st (Korea time) "Maguire will wait for Ten Hag to be replaced from the team before making a decision on his long-term future at Manchester United. Maguire wants to see if he can take on more roles under the new manager after Ten Hag leaves," he reported.
Maguire transferred from Leicester City to Manchester United in the 2019-2020 season with a transfer fee of 87 million euros (about KRW 129.3 billion). As of that time, it was the highest transfer fee for a defender in soccer history. There was a lot of strong criticism that Manchester United invested too much money to recruit Maguire.
Still, Maguire proved to some extent why his transfer fee was so high in the first season of the transfer. This is because he played in all league games and Manchester United's defense improved relatively after Maguire appeared. At the time, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave Maguire such trust that he entrusted the captain's armband six months after the transfer. Until the second season, Maguire was at the heart of Manchester United's defense.
However, from the 2021-2022 season, the performance began to collapse rapidly. Originally, the slow response speed was slower, and there were many basic mistakes in the build-up process. The captaincy, and the €87m defender's uncharacteristic appearance, has caused a great deal of ridicule. It was such a difficult time that even Manchester United fans booed Maguire.
Even after Ten Hach came, Maguire's situation did not change. Ten Hag began to be pushed out of the main competition, and he handed over Maguire's captaincy to Bruno Fernandes. The team began to lose ground.
Naturally, there were calls to sell Maguire. However, Maguire began to revive in the second half of last season. Still, Maguire's position was unstable. This is because Manchester United has too many center backs with the acquisition of Lenny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt this summer. He is a high-payer and needed better performance as his contract approached its expiration.
Maguire's contract with Manchester United expires at the end of this season. It is known that he has not yet received a renewal offer from Manchester United, but Maguire seems to want to remain at Manchester United and continue his career. However, if the new coach appoints him after Ten Hach is replaced.
Football Insider added "With growing uncertainty about the Manchester United managerial job, Maguire will delay his decision until his future is confirmed. Maguire believes he can still play for Manchester United."
Maguire's position has been pushed back by Ten Hag's arrival, so Ten Hag wants to leave quickly and compete again under the new coach system. It also means that the players' trust in Coach Ten Hag has already collapsed.
rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com
