Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney has given his thoughts on Harry Maguire’s future after the 29-year-old defender was stripped of the captain’s armband by United boss Erik ten Hag.
There has been a lot of talk about the defender’s future and the stripping of the captain’s armband from Maguire, who has been captain since he joined the club in 2019 for £80 million, represents a big statement not only for United but for the player himself.
In a sit-down interview with David Ornstein of The Athletic, Rooney has given his thoughts about the former Leicester City defender and what his thoughts were when he heard the English defender had been stripped of the captaincy.
‘How does he move forward with the club?’
“To have the armband taken off you, how does he move forward with the club?” Rooney says.
“That shows the manager really doesn’t believe in him. It leaves Harry in a position where he has to think about what he does moving forward.”
Maguire is in a tough spot at United, with the manager preferring Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez ahead of the Englishman, Maguire’s game time will be limited as the countdown continues to next summer’s European Championships.
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‘The best thing now is for him to move.’
Rooney also spoke about the defender’s future at the club, with West Ham United reportedly interested in the 30-year-old defender, with former United boss David Moyes, a big fan of Maguire.
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“The manager has shown he is not part of the plans,” Rooney said. “I’m sure Harry will want to go and play — for himself, for his England career — to put himself in the best position to be as successful as he can. The best thing now is probably for him to move.”
Rooney believes Greenwood needs to develop somewhere else
Rooney also spoke about the difficult position that United and Mason Greenwood are in, with regard to the striker’s future following an internal investigation by the club.
“It leaves Mason Greenwood in a position where he is stuck,” says the current DC United manager. “So for Mason, it’s a bad position to be in because I’m sure he just wants to play football. But for the club, its image, and ensuring they make the right decisions, it’s almost a catch-22.
“I think the best thing for Mason now is to get out of the club and go and develop somewhere else.