Harry Maguire’s union with West Ham looked like the perfect marriage. For all his faults, and trying times at Old Trafford, the 30-year-old’s continued dependence at international level proved his quality.
In the Hammers, Maguire would have joined a club in need of leadership following the sale of skipper of Declan Rice. In Moyes, a manager whose playing style is much more aligned with his strengths.
The prospective £30million move was not prohibitive for a side that received more than three times that amount for their former captain.
However, on Tuesday it was revealed that the move was officially off, with the Hammers growing tired of waiting for the centre-back to finalise his United exit, though Ten Hag was happy for Maguire to fight for his place at Old Trafford.
Maguire’s place at Manchester United and that of England is under increasing threat, According to Mail Sport.
Erik ten Hag offered the defender a glimmer of hope though. Speaking ahead of the Red Devil’s 1-0 win against West Ham on Monday, he said: ‘For Harry, that is just how I described it. He has to fight for his place.
‘He has the ability to be a top-class centre back and he is the best for England so why shouldn’t he be the best for us? But he has to prove it.
‘When he is not confident enough to fight then he has to go. Then he has to make a decision, but I’m happy with him.’
Supportive or not, it can not be ignored that the Dutch manager’s arrival effectively signaled the end of Maguire’s career as a United starter. The England international was signed by his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having also been courted that summer by Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.
However, it was during the club’s nadir – the 2021-22 season in which the side amassed their lowest points tally in Premier League history – that things really started to fall apart for the Sheffield-native.
Then last season under Ten Hag, who deploys a high-line and requires his defenders to be exceptional distributors, Maguire struggled for game time and could only manage eight starts in the Premier League.
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