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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Dan Marsh

Harry Maguire set to ignore Rio Ferdinand advice despite Man Utd decision

Harry Maguire is set to stay at Manchester United this month - just weeks after he was urged to quit Old Trafford by Rio Ferdinand.

Maguire, 29, is still United's club captain but has been a peripheral figure after falling out of favour during the early weeks of Erik ten Hag's reign.

The former Leicester man had been tipped to win his spot back after impressing for England at the World Cup; however, Luke Shaw has instead been used ahead of Maguire in recent weeks as a makeshift centre-back.

Ten Hag's decision to use Shaw ahead of Maguire has fuelled speculation that the £80million man could seek a move away from United this month. But both the club and Maguire have now made it clear that he will not be going anywhere in January.

Reports on Sunday claiming that Maguire was on the brink of joining Aston Villa were quickly quashed by both the player and United, with sources close to Maguire claiming that links to Villa Park after he was spotted in the Midlands over the weekend was "laughable".

The Manchester Evening News also outlined that Maguire wants to stay put and that Ten Hag would like to keep the defender at Old Trafford until at least the end of the season; effectively quashing speculation over Maguire's immediate future.

Maguire's hopes of muscling back into Manchester United's team after the World Cup were initially hampered by a virus, which led to Shaw being drafted in as an emergency centre-back.

However, after impressing in the role, Shaw retained his spot ahead of Maguire for United's slender win over Wolves a fortnight ago. And that was enough to convince Ferdinand, who clocked up over 450 appearances for United during his own trophy-laden stint at the club, that Maguire's time at Old Trafford is now up.

Join the debate! Do you think Maguire should be looking to leave Man Utd now? Let us know here.

Rio Ferdinand urged Maguire to quit United last month (BT Sport)

Speaking to BT Sport, he said: "If I'm Harry Maguire, I'm looking for a new club right now. This new manager [Ten Hag] is showing by his team selection that he is not going to be one of the two, three top centre-backs at this club."

Maguire was brought back into the starting XI for United's 3-0 win over Bournemouth last week but started Friday night's FA Cup win over Everton on the bench, with Shaw again selected to partner Raphael Varane.

United have also been linked with a number of defenders in recent weeks: including Napoli ace Kim Min-Jae, who starred for South Korea at the World Cup.

France international Axel Disasi is another player who has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, with The Daily Mail claiming that United 'held talks' over a move for the Monaco ace last week.

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