Manchester United may be chasing a new defender this summer, but Harry Maguire is set to remain at the club amid doubts over his immediate future.
The United captain endured another difficult year at Old Trafford despite a phenomenal Euro 2020 campaign with England last summer. And as a result, his future at the club was questioned with the arrival of Erik ten Hag, who is well within his right to shake things up.
There may still be doubts over whether Maguire will remain United's captain next season, but the defender will stay at the club regardless. And Ten Hag will look to bring in another centre-back if they can get rid of Phil Jones, Eric Bailly or Axel Tuanzebe.
Ten Hag's primary centre-back options are Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof, but the Dutchman may look to bring in his own option if United can shift some of their unwanted stars this summer. Ajax pairing Jurrien Timber and Lisandro Martinez have been linked, alongside Villarreal's Pau Torres.
But for now, Ten Hag has to assess his current squad and Maguire still fits the bill. However, it is yet to be confirmed whether he will still be wearing the armband when United face Brighton on the opening day of the season.
Ten Hag has already been asked about this, as he was questioned during his first United press conference. "Next season is a different season but he did a great job," Ten Hag said about Maguire.
"He's a great player he achieved already a lot so I'm looking forward to working with him." And Maguire has also been open about working under Ten Hag, and the current captain is keen to move on from a poor season.
"It’s been a tough campaign, no hiding away from that," Maguire explained. "It was a disappointing season individually and as a group. Football’s my life. I care about the club so much.
"I care about winning matches and taking the club to where it should be, where the fans deserve it to be. I’m sure on the first day of pre-season, everybody will be buzzing around, doing their best to impress and coming back in shape.
"We have a big season ahead. We know we are going to improve because last season was nowhere near good enough. The new manager will bring positive energy and the lads will go with that."
United recorded their worst ever Premier League season to date, and they failed to post a positive goal difference in an embarrassing campaign. The Red Devils only just scraped a Europa League spot, despite losing to Crystal Palace on the final day.
There is a lot of improvement to be done, and Ten Hag has a massive job on his hands, but like the majority of his predecessors, he will be given time. David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have all failed to find the right winning formula, and now United are approaching ten years without a league title.
