TalkSport reporter Alex Crook believes Manchester United captain Harry Maguire will likely leave in the summer.
Crook believes that Maguire is unhappy at United and that he and Erik ten Hag are set to go separate ways at the end of the season.
The 29-year-old has only featured in seven Premier League games this season, starting just four – with two of them prior to the return of Raphael Varane.
Varane didn’t start the opening two games which saw Maguire partner Lisandro Martinez as United conceded six in their first two games of the season.
The Frenchman was soon brought back in and Maguire was dropped. The new Red Devils pair have excelled together with United now in a rich vein of form.
This leaves the £80m man on the periphery at Old Trafford, even failing to start over Luke Shaw at centre-back on the Premier League’s return, with World Cup winner Martinez missing the first games back following the Qatar break.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Crook claimed that the Englishman’s time is up at United.
He said: “Can it work in the same way? I think that ship has probably sailed.
“When your manager picks a left-back at centre-half instead of you, I think that’s a fairly big indicator that he’s not fancying you.
“I don’t think he’s enjoying being a Manchester United player, he’s certainly not enjoying being Manchester United captain, I think Ten Hag wants to go in a different direction.
“I don’t think it will happen this month. I spoke to somebody close to the situation at the weekend and they felt Maguire is needed this season because obviously United are still competing on four fronts.”
TIF Thoughts on Crook’s comments…
Maguire’s career is stalling at precisely the wrong time for him as he turns 30 before the end of the campaign.
With him now completely on the fringes at Old Trafford and Shaw deployed ahead of him at centre-back, possibly owing to Ten Hag’s preference for a left-footed option to replace Martinez, his future certainly looks pretty bleak.
United will, however, want to keep hold of their captain who still clearly harbours leadership qualities and dressing room presence as well as much-needed depth with the Red Devils still left in four competitions.
But following on from yet another eye-catching tournament with England, the time seems right for all to cut their losses and move on in the summer from Maguire, for whom there will surely be a number of suitors.