Ruben Amorim suffered his first defeat as Manchester United boss on Wednesday with Arsenal prevailing 2-0 at home thanks to two set-piece goals in the first half.
Considering how ineffective the hosts were from open play, the Portuguese could have gone more attacking in the first half, something he might rue looking back.
The defence played well with Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire impressing, with the England international returning to the starting lineup after nine games out injured.
He was decent on the night and will be looking to make more of an impact moving forward, especially as his current deal ends in 2025.
Maguire’s future
The club can trigger a one-year extension option but the centre-back is hopeful of earning a new deal with Amorim having a say in who will earn a new contract at the club.
Amad Diallo has earned the boss’ approval and it will be interesting to see if the former skipper sticks around at the club in the long-term.
Even if he does not earn the new head coach’s trust, former United chief scout Mick Brown is aware of interest of multiple Premier League teams in the Englishman, including West Ham who had famously come close to signing him a few years ago.
He told Football Insider, “There are Premier League clubs keeping a close eye on the situation. Any club who wants a solid and experienced leader and centre-back will be interested in Harry Maguire.
Lot of PL interest in Maguire
“He’s a huge threat from set-pieces, both defending and attacking them, and he’s good on the ball. He was England’s first-choice centre-back for years so he’s got so much experience.
“I was constantly on about him when I was at West Ham, but they made an offer of £20 million for him and it was quickly rejected.
“They’re still looking at singing a new centre-back now, so I’d expect that interest is still there. If United decide to let him go at the end of the season, there are clubs queuing up for his signature, so he won’t be short of options.”
He was brought to the club by former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for a record £80 million back in 2019 and has had to face a lot of criticism since his move.
But as seen from the Arsenal game, the 31-year-old is suited more to the three-at-the back system and he could be a quality backup for the head coach if he can keep impressing.
Feature image Octavio Passos via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
