Harry Maguire is determined to fight for his place at Manchester United, despite tumbling down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag.
The Englishman started the season as one of the Red Devils' first-choice centre-backs, but a series of dreadful performances saw him relegated to the bench. Instead, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez have formed United's centre-back pairing for much of the campaign.
Injuries to both Martinez and Varane handed Maguire a chance to reassert himself at Old Trafford. But it was a chance he threw away after a dire display in the Europa League defeat to Sevilla last week.
He was then suspended for the FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton, with Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw impressing in his place. It means that Maguire will likely find himself back on the bench in future, with his future at United increasingly in doubt.
Despite falling behind Varane, Martinez, Lindelof and Shaw in the pecking order though, Maguire is keen to attempt to fight his way back into Ten Hag's plans. According to The Athletic, the defender will stay beyond the summer to fight for his future and regain his starting spot.
The decision may be taken out of his hands though, with United needing to raise funds for the next stage of Ten Hag's squad overhaul. Player sales will be required and Maguire is seen as one of the squad members who could command a sizeable fee.
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He would need to be convinced to take a pay cut if he were to leave United though, something that won't exactly appeal to Maguire to cut short his time at Old Trafford. United will not push him out and there are other players who club chiefs are prioritising the sale of.
For his part, Ten Hag has moved to defend Maguire in recent weeks, despite his poor performances. And the Dutchman has insisted there could be a future for the England international in his squad.
"He has an important role, he is the captain, he leads, he communicates with the manager, motivates the team, he's the example in the training space. I'm thinking about improving this team and these players, that's my job with the coaching staff and the players," he said.
Yet Man Utd legend Nemanja Vidic feels Maguire's inconsistent form has made his role as captain harder to navigate and command respect from his team-mates. Speaking on Rio Ferdinand ’s Vibe with Five YouTube channel, former centre-back Vidic said: "“Maguire has a problem because he doesn’t perform well. When you don’t perform well it’s difficult to say to someone what to do.
“I think that Maguire is doing well for the national team, he was great for Leicester. But obviously, he’s struggling to perform for Manchester United the way he’s performing for other clubs.
“It’s difficult to gain that type of respect, it’s nothing against Maguire now. In general, any captain has to be first, has to show an example, has to play well and has to fight for the club and then everybody else will do it.”
