By Latiifah Amusan
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has raised concerns about his limited playing time at the club and suggested that his future might be in question if the situation persists.
In a recent statement, Harry Maguire revealed his dissatisfaction with the limited opportunities he has had at Manchester United in the past months.
The former club captain, who had been close to leaving the club during the summer transfer window, has found himself with fewer playing minutes and even lost the captain’s armband.
Maguire’s situation was further complicated by online abuse from both club supporters and rival fans.
On one occasion, his mother had to come to his defense against online trolls.
The England international is expected to be in the starting lineup when his national team faces Australia and Italy.
However, he has expressed his concern about the limited playing time he has been receiving at Manchester United, prompting the need for a discussion between him and the club.
“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,” Maguire stated.
Although he acknowledges that the decision of whether he starts the next game for Manchester United is not his to make, Maguire firmly believes that he has demonstrated his ability to secure a starting position in the club’s backline.
“It’s not my decision whether I start the next game for United or not. In a couple of weeks, I’ll go back and find out. I have belief in my ability, and it’s been tough. I want to play games and feel important to the club. At the moment, I haven’t been playing anywhere near as much as I would like. That is the bottom line.”
Since being stripped of the captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag, Maguire’s playing time has been significantly reduced.
Despite the impressive statistics he holds when he has played, he has been overlooked in the starting lineup, which has led to his current concerns.
“My record under this manager speaks for itself. My win percentage when I’ve played is ridiculously high. If you look back on my last 15 to 20 starts for club and country, I’m really happy with my performances.”
Maguire has achieved an 88.9% win percentage in matches he has started for club and country since the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The only blemish on this record was Manchester United’s 3-0 Europa League quarter-final second-leg defeat at Sevilla earlier this year.
