Harry Maguire was stripped of the Manchester United captaincy by Erik ten Hag earlier this summer and is being tipped to complete a transfer – with West Ham interested
Erik ten Hag rejected Harry Maguire and refused to hand him the captaincy in Manchester United’s last US tour match against Borussia Dortmund, despite the fact that new club captain Bruno Fernandes was not there.
Maguire, 30, had a forgettable evening on Sunday, as Manchester United fell 3-2 in Nevada. Dortmund won thanks to Donyell Malen’s brace and Youssoufa Moukoko’s strike, with Diogo Dalot and Antony scoring for Ten Hag’s side.
Maguire was involved in a heated row with new United goalkeeper Andre Onana, while Ten Hag was critical of his defence at full-time. The evening only serves to cast further doubt on Maguire’s future after he was stripped of the captaincy earlier this summer.
The England international is being tipped to complete a summer transfer, with West Ham seeing a £20million bid rejected. United want £50m and someone to pay his £200,000-a-week wages, but many teams simply cannot afford – or are unwilling to meet – those demands.
West Ham are unclear whether to make another approach for Maguire, who cost United £80 million four years ago when he left Leicester. The defender is said to desire to join a ‘better club’ than the Hammers, with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle said to be keen.
Maguire only started eight Premier League games last season, and his confidence is unlikely to have strengthened after watching Ten Hag hand the armband to McTominay. Onana’s blast, which came after he was forced to make a save, may undoubtedly fuel concerns regarding Maguire’s future.
Ten Hag has previously stated that he is content to keep Maguire as a backup for Raphael Varane. The France international has struggled with fitness throughout his two years at Old Trafford, and he was forced to sit out the defeat to Dortmund as a precaution.
Ten Hag’s words following Thursday’s game, though, will pique the interest of United fans. He criticized their “poor defending” and said, “Two parts – first hour [of the game] good, well performing, playing as a team, lot of dynamic, good pressing.”
“It was a lot of fun to watch.” That’s what I wanted to convey to the players at halftime, but then they gave up two goals that were clearly giveaways. So that was already irritating, but the last half-hour was terrible, a lousy performance.”
Maguire needs to play more often to make Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euros, which will be held in Germany next summer. Southgate has stood by the center-back during this difficult time, but he is under pressure to select other talents.
Ten Hag has previously revealed his choice to take Maguire’s armband and give it to Fernandes. “It’s disappointing for a player, but it can actually work out well for the team and Harry,” he remarked.
“He stays an important player. He can fight himself into the team. He has potential and it’s up to him to get his position. Now he can focus more on his role, but a centre-back has to communicate and organise. It’s a big area where you have to perform as a centre-half.”
