The world’s most expensive center-back was unable to lead the Red Devils, and he has no reason to stay after losing the armband.
Harry Maguire will be remembered as one of Manchester United’s worst blunders in recent memory. Maguire has had to deal with the weight of enormous pressure and expectation since completing his record-breaking £80 million ($105 million) transition from Leicester City to Old Trafford in 2019.
That only increased when he was made United’s new permanent captain by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer just six months after his arrival in Manchester. It looked like a rash decision at the time given Maguire’s lack of experience at the highest level, and so it has proved.
Maguire’s performances gradually worsened under Solskjaer and his interim replacement Ralf Rangnick, but he clung on to his spot in the team due to his status as skipper. However, Erik ten Hag immediately identified the defender as a weak link upon his arrival at United last summer.
The former Ajax boss made sure that Lisandro Martinez followed him to Old Trafford, and it wasn’t long before he started experimenting with the Argentine enforcer alongside Raphael Varane in the heart of his backline. United improved significantly after Maguire’s relegation to the bench, and he had to watch on as Bruno Fernandes took up on-field captaincy duties in admirable fashion.
By the end of the 2022-23 campaign, the England international had also fallen behind Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw in the pecking order. Ten Hag made it painfully obvious that Maguire doesn’t fit into his long-term plans, but if there had been any shred of doubt still remaining, he eliminated it when the centre-half returned for pre-season training at the weekend.
Maguire announced that he has been stripped of the captaincy in an emotional post on social media, and admitted that he has been left “extremely disappointed” by Ten Hag’s ruthless decision. But he should really look at it as a blessing in disguise because now he is free to rebuild his career – away from Old Trafford.
