Harry Maguire has confirmed that he is in “positive” talks with Manchester United about agreeing a new contract.
The 31-year-old’s current deal expires in June, but United have an option to extend it for another year to keep him tied down until 2026.
As per The Daily Mail, Maguire is feeling optimistic about his future at the club. He said: “I’ve still got this year to go with an option in their hands, but all the signs are positive at the moment and the chat that I’m having is really positive.”
The Englishman came close to leaving Old Trafford for West Ham last year, but responded well to the move falling through and knuckled down under Erik ten Hag despite losing the club captaincy to Bruno Fernandes.
So far he has been used sparingly by Ruben Amorim, but completed his first full 90 minutes under the Portuguese boss in yesterday’s thrilling 2-1 derby win at Manchester City.
Maguire impressed at centre of a back three, where he was flanked by Lisandro Martinez to the left and Matthijs de Ligt to the right.
Speaking about Amorim’s system, he said: “You can see we have a good structure, a good style of play and the way that he wants us to work.
“I think his demands, he’s tactically very good. He’s proven that he’s a winner.”
After a turbulent couple of games, United’s last-gasp win at the Etihad has brought back some of the feelgood factor Amorim engendered upon his arrival.
“We had back-to-back defeats in the Premier League, so to come here and to put a statement down is really important for our confidence and the belief of where we’re going and where Ruben’s going to take us,” said Maguire. “Like I said, I’m sure it’s going to be a positive journey.”
Amorim’s preference for playing with three centre-backs opens the door for plenty of opportunities for Maguire should he continue to perform well in that position.
Fitness permitting, there is stiff competition with De Ligt and Martinez established first-team regulars and young Leny Yoro gradually entering the fray upon his return from injury.
But Maguire is now comfortably ahead of Victor Lindelof in the pecking order, and Jonny Evans has been on the sidelines for weeks.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
