Manchester United will not stand in Harry Maguire’s way if he decides to leave the club within the next 12 months.
That is the view of former Liverpool midfielder turned pundit Stan Collymore, who believes Maguire is facing an uncertain future but expects a host of clubs to try and offer him a route out of Old Trafford.
Despite being axed from Erik ten Hag’s Man United first-team, Maguire, 29, has continued to play an important role for Gareth Southgate’s England team.
Expected to feature heavily during the Three Lions’ World Cup campaign later this winter, Collymore has predicted that if the 29-year-old experiences another good international campaign, he will likely return to Manchester and look for a way out.
“He does stand a chance of coming in during domestic cup matches, and ten Hag may even throw him in with the under-23s to keep him ticking over, and although I expect Maguire to be a good enough professional to get his head down and do whatever is asked of him, I think his time at Old Trafford is ultimately coming to an end,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.
“Maguire’s agent is Paul Stretford, who was also my agent when I was a professional player, so I know Stretford will not want his star client sitting there not doing much. He will know that he has a real big asset on his hands, so he will want him to be playing.”
Since joining the Red Devils from Leicester City back in 2019 for an eye-watering £78.3m, the pressure has very much been on the former Hull City defender to perform to United’s sky-high standards and unfortunately, that has not happened, and Collymore now expects United’s skipper to look to move on.
“I think if he does have a good run in the World Cup, he’ll be a wanted man and will look to get out of United during the next transfer window,” he added.
“I know some people would argue ‘But Stan, would Man United really sell their captain mid-way through a season?; – I believe so, yes.
“Let’s be totally honest here – Maguire isn’t really United’s captain anymore. He only has that title on paper because ten Hag didn’t want to stick the knife in any further.
“The reality is that between Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, it’s unlikely Maguire will get back into that squad, so when it comes to a potential departure, either in January or next summer, for the club and the fanbase, they won’t care. It won’t matter if a player, captain or not, is sold, just so long as the team is moving in the right direction.”
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