Harry Maguire has been urged to ‘get the hell out’ of Manchester United after the Premier League giants accepted a £30 million bid from West Ham.
Should the much-maligned England international stick around at Old Trafford for 2023/24, it will largely be because Manchester United felt that they were running out of time – and funds – to bring in an adequate replacement.
The Red Devils, after all, ‘accepted’ West Ham’s £30 million bid for Harry Maguire earlier this month. A fact confirmed by Hammers boss David Moyes.
And while The Athletic’s David Ornstein believes that Erik ten Hag is happy to retain Maguire’s services until January at the earliest, it’s tempting to wonder whether the former Ajax boss would have come to a different conclusion had Bayern Munich not slapped a highly-prohibitive £45 million price-tag on Benjamin Pavard’s head.
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As far as former United defender Paul Parker is concerned, however, Maguire staying put does little to benefit the man himself.
“I think all parties are probably disappointed that Maguire hasn’t gone. And I think United management are now playing games with their quotes about being happy to keep Maguire,” Parker, a two-time Premier League champion under Sir Alex Ferguson, tells Inside Sport.
“If I was Maguire, I would want to get the hell out of the place if you’re not wanted.
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“That deal with Maguire is now off. I can’t see Pavard joining and United still have a lot of centre halves.”
Ten Hag has, of course, given his backing to Maguire publicly. Then again, he did the same with Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Gea, and we all know how that turned out.
England warning for Manchester United misfit
Another year on the Man United bench, meanwhile, and Maguire could kiss goodbye to his hopes of starting for England at Euro 2024 in Germany.
“Inevitably, it’s not a situation that can continue for ever,” Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate told The Guardian in May. “It’s like Kalvin Phillips (at Manchester City). The longer that situation goes on, the more concerning it is.
“And we’ve got, in Marc Guehi, Lewis Dunk, Tyrone Mings; players who are playing well.”
Mings may miss the Euros due to an ACL injury he suffered during Aston Villa’s 5-1 hammering at Newcastle United. But the emergence of Chelsea’s Levi Colwill means competition for Maguire’s spot will remain fiercely-contested.
West Ham, meanwhile, are turning their attention to Stuttgart’s Konstantinos Mavropanos.