Manchester United will not stand in Harry Maguire’s way if he decides to leave the club in the next 12 months.
That is the view of former Liverpool midfielder turned insider Stan Collymore, who believes Maguire faces an uncertain future but hopes a host of clubs will try to offer him a route away from Old Trafford.
Despite being sacked from Erik ten Hag’s Man United first team, the 29-year-old Maguire has continued to play an important role for Gareth Southgate’s England side.
Collymore, who is expected to make a big presence during the Three Lions World Cup campaign later this winter, 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 has chances to come in during domestic cup games, and ten Hag may even include him with the under-23s to keep him going, and while I hope Maguire is a good enough professional to put his head down and do what he wants, ask him, I think his time at Old Trafford is finally 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 won’t want his star client to sit there without doing much. He will know that he has a real big asset in his hands, so he will want him to play.”
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Since joining the Red Devils from Leicester City in 2019 for £78.3m, the pressure has been on the former Hull City defender to perform at United’s sky-high levels and unfortunately that hasn’t happened, and Collymore now he hopes the United captain will look to move on.
“I think if he has a good run in the World Cup he will be a wanted man and will look to leave United during the next transfer window,” he added.
“I know some people would say: ‘But Stan, would Man United really sell their captain in the middle of the season? – I think 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 anymore.
“The reality is that between Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, it is unlikely that Maguire will return to that team, so when it comes to a possible exit, whether it be in January or next summer, for the club and the fans, no they will care . It won’t matter if a player is sold, captain or not, as long as the team moves in the right direction.”
