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Rob DawsonCorrespondent
Harry Maguire says he has the backing of Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, but admits he “wants to play games.”
Maguire has made just nine starts this season and was only introduced for the final two minutes of Sunday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle.
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Ten Hag has preferred Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez at centre-back and Maguire said their good form has made it difficult to earn a place in the team.
“I’m a footballer who wants to play games and I want to lead the boys out of the tunnel at the start of the game, but also I understand this is part and parcel of football when you play at the top level and you have got huge competition for places,” Maguire said.
“The lads who are playing and starting, Rapha [Varane] is playing really well and we have seen his ideas, the manager, what he wants, and he does like a left-footed centre-back playing, so it’s high competition for places.”
Ten Hag retained Maguire as club captain when he took over as manager in the summer, but the England defender hasn’t started consecutive games since August.
Sources have told ESPN that Maguire turned down the chance to join West Ham United in January, but there is likely to be more interest in the summer if his prospects do not improve.
“I think he [Ten Hag] has been asked numerous times about my role in interviews and he tells me honestly, he believes in me, but this is football,” Maguire said. “This is Manchester United. We want to win trophies, and big trophies and to do that you need competition for places.
“The manager speaks to me daily and he really respects me and believes that I am a top centre-half with all the attributes to play in his team, but also he understands that the players who are playing — and I understand that the players who are playing — are playing very well.”
After coming on as a late substitute at Wembley, Maguire lifted the Carabao Cup alongside Bruno Fernandes. It’s Maguire’s first trophy since arriving at Old Trafford from Leicester City in 2019, but he could end the season with more in the FA Cup, Europa League and Premier League.
“The mood is really good,” Maguire said. “The lads get on really well, and are a really tight bunch, good spirit everyone contributing. The lads who aren’t playing, myself included, are working hard and pushing those who are playing to perform well and they are. That is what a big club is about. What is being built here is why we are in all four competitions.
“I think winning games breeds confidence and a good atmosphere among the fans and the club we are all pulling in the same direction, we all want the same thing, we have got a good squad, good competition for places and the manager’s made a big impact on the style of play and in the demands he brings, it seems to be going in a good place.”