Aheed Abrar
West Ham United forward Michail Antonio has Manchester United defender Harry Maguire confidence
Michail Antonio, who plays for West Ham United, is confident that Manchester United defender Harry Maguire will find his feet once again.
The former Leicester City star has had a tough couple of seasons at the Old Trafford side. Over the last year, the centre-back has lost his place in the Red Devils starting lineup and has also been stripped of the captaincy.
With the 30-year-old finding game time hard to come by at Man United, he had been linked with a move to the Hammers this summer. David Moye’s team had agreed to a £30 million fee for the England international, but a move looks unlikely at this stage.
Speaking on the Footballer’s Football Podcast (h/t Manchester Evening News), Antonio, who has been at West Ham since the summer of 2015, believes there is still a decent player in Maguire.
“He’s still there. Obviously, I feel like the two clubs have agreed but it’s now down to what the player wants to do.
“I feel like he is a quality player and I know once he gets his confidence back and people stop ripping into him and give him an opportunity to showcase himself again, I feel like he will actually do well.”
United signed the defender in the summer of 2019 from Leicester City. Subsequently, he became a key player for the Red Devils and was handed the armband a few months into his stint at the club.
However, for some time now, the English national’s performances have deteriorated. The centre-back has made multiple errors in the backline. During the recent pre-season, he was culpable for a few goals.
Erik ten Hag does not seem to have faith in Maguire as a starter anymore. Lisandor Martinez and Raphael Varane have been the gaffer’s preferred options at the back over the last year.
Victor Lindelof has also been ahead of the English national in the pecking order. Luke Shaw also played as a central defender on a few occasions ahead of the former Leicester star in the previous campaign.
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Therefore, while Maguire staying at United ensures depth in our backline, it does not make sense for the defender to remain at a club where game time is not guaranteed. Will the English national be able to turn things around this season? Only time will tell.
