Harry Maguire has issued an ultimatum to Manchester United after seeing his game time reduced drastically in the new season. The defender isn’t happy about the current situation and would be looking for options in the upcoming transfer window.
The English defender commented on his game time during a press conference ahead of England’s matches against Australia and Italy. He stated: “I’m not going to sit here all my life and play once every month and if it carries on then I’m sure myself and the club will sit down and have a chat about things.”
Harry Maguire is frustrated about Erik ten Hag’s decision of dropping the defender in the pecking order. At present, Maguire is behind Lisandro Martínez, Raphael Varane, and Victor Lindelof.
He has played only four appearances for the English club, with a total game time of 206 minutes. These four appearances were also rewarded to the defender due to injuries to Varane and Martinez.
🚨 Maguire: “I am not going to sit here all my life and play once a month… if it carries on I am sure myself and the club will sit down and have a chat about things”.
“But I am fully focused on fighting to try and win back my place at Man United”, told The Sun. pic.twitter.com/3RcU5RLSLo
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 12, 2023
Maguire had a chance to move in the summer when West Ham approached him for a move, however, he decided to fight for his place at United after contractual issues with the West Ham deal.
The defender has been facing immense pressure from Erik ten Hag since the pre-season. The pressure was intensified after he was stripped of his captaincy by the manager earlier in the summer.
The 30-year-old is looking for regular game time to ensure his place in the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 in Germany. The scrutiny continued for Maguire on England duty when he scored an own goal against Scotland in a recent fixture.
David Beckham reached out to Harry Maguire after online abuse
The defender faced abuse from his own fans for his performances against Scotland in a friendly. Maguire revealed in the same press conference that David Beckham reached out to him after the Scotland game.
Maguire revealed: “I actually spoke with David about three weeks ago, after the Scotland game. He got in touch with me, which was really nice of him and I really appreciated that. It meant everything.” He further elaborated how he looked up to Beckham growing up, and it was classy for the former captain to get in touch with him.
🗣️ “He got in touch. It was really nice of him and I really appreciated that. He reminded me of the career I’ve had and the big moments.”
Harry Maguire on David Beckham reaching out to him and offering his support after a tough couple of weeks. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ANZNnjwYyh
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 11, 2023
Maguire would have learned a lot about how to handle criticism from English fans. Beckham himself was the subject of immense scrutiny after his controversial red card in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Maguire further revealed how Beckham reminded him of the career he had to date and the big moments he had in his career, which have helped him since the incident.
Harry Maguire is currently with the England squad on the second international break of the season. He is set to make appearances against Australia and Italy in the coming week. The defender will be hoping to make a positive impact in these matches to move past the Scotland incident.