Harry Maguire is an important part of the Manchester United squad againplaceholder image
Harry Maguire is an important part of the Manchester United squad again | Getty Images
Man Utd have a contract decision to make on one of their most important players.
The 32-year-old has formed a key part of the United side under Carrick but is out of contract at the end of the season and could depart as a free agent. Maguire experienced a reduced role under former head coach Ruben Amorim before an injury left him sidelined for a large part of the season.
Maguire made his return from the bench in Darren Fletcher's final game as caretaker head coach, but was thrown into the starting line up as soon as Carrick took charge. The experienced defender has played the full 90 minutes in all but one of the six matches under the new head coach and made a strong case to be handed a new deal at Old Trafford.
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Carrick hails Maguire leadership
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Crystal Palace in the Premier League, Michael Carrick was quizzed on Harry Maguire and his importance to the team.
“Harry is an impressive character,” Carrick told reporters at Carrington. “He’s had a great career so far, hopefully there is a lot more to come. He’s been here on the journey and the experiences he’s had here, and certainly with England, show exactly what he is. We know the player he is, and what he is capable of doing. He was fantastic the other night; his experience, attributes, and character help. His willingness to put himself out there. He’s really impressive and he has been really important for us.”
United are eager to reduce their wage bill this summer and could offer the veteran defender a new contract on reduced terms. It is understood Maguire would be open to an extension, but wouldn’t be short of offers if he decided to pursue a career elsewhere instead.
When asked if he would be involved in the decision, Carrick said: “Yeah, I think within the squad there's always that balance. You certainly want that younger potential and that excitement of developing players and helping players. You need that little sweet spot in the middle where players hit the peak. You certainly need that within the group, and experience is massive. It's hard to put a price on how valuable that can be, whether that's individuals or experience as a whole group. Harry's gained an awful lot of experience in different ways through this club, and Case leaving is another one who is experienced . It's something we've got to understand what that means.”
There is even an argument that Maguire is playing the best football of his career, though it is helped by the reduced fixture schedule, with United set to play just 40 competitive matches this campaign. Asked if he agreed, the United head coach added: “There's a case, I think. I think as your career goes, and just touching on it there, when you're a young player, everything's fresh, and everything's new, and you're fearless, and there's not many scars there. So it's full of excitement. You get to the peak years, where you're at, and you feel good, and everything's there, but obviously you've had a few ups and downs along the way. Then you think you start getting towards the later times, and the experience that you've gained then makes you a better player, or should make you a better player from learning from that.
“I think we've seen that with Harry's performances of late, what he's brought to the team, and he's been so important, as well as many others. So I think that's why experience is important, to use it. I certainly felt that when I was playing that, it was 30, 31, 32, that probably was my best years, really, of just being at that sweet spot, of being able to do it physically still, but using the experiences to know what's coming, and probably seeing a bit of everything by that stage, so it's not a surprise.”
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