Michael Carrick has spotlighted the “awful lot of experience” under Harry Maguire’s belt amid the uncertainty around the Man Utd defender’s future at Old Trafford.
Harry Maguire is in the tail end of his current Manchester United deal and will be out of contract with the Red Devils at the end of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
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The 32-year-old former Man Utd captain saw his contract extended last January after his important role under former Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim.
Following the 12-month club extension of his deal in 2025, Maguire has continued to play a major role under interim Red Devils head coach Michael Carrick in 2026.
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Harry Maguire in the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, England in 2026.
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Michael Carrick addresses the situation around Harry Maguire and the England defender’s Man Utd future
Harry Maguire has started all six of Michael Carrick’s Premier League matches and has completed the full 90 minutes in five of the league fixtures in recent weeks.
The England international has been Carrick’s preferred centre-back of choice alongside Lisandro Martinez, who has currently been sidelined due to injury.
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Speaking at his pre-match Premier League press conference, Carrick was asked about Maguire’s future after the defender was in the final six months of his contract.
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Harry Maguire celebrating at Anfield
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“Within the squad, there is that balance, you want that younger potential and excitement and helping develop players,” he said at the Carrington training complex on Friday, as per the Manchester Evening News.
“You need the sweet spot in the middle with players at the peak and experience is massive.
“It’s hard to put a price on how valuable that can be. Harry has gained an awful lot of experience with this club. Case [Casemiro] leaving is another one.”
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Michael Carrick on Harry Maguire’s experience now and the Man Utd and England defender’s ability in his 30s
Maguire has been at Man Utd since 2019 after the Red Devils splashed out a whopping £80m to sign him from Leicester City during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign.
The former Leicester City star has been praised for his resurgence at Old Trafford in recent seasons and Carrick compared Maguire with his own career in his 30s.
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Harry Maguire celebrates scoring for Manchester United.
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“There is a case, as your career goes, when you’re a young player and everything is fresh and knew you’re fearless and there’s [sic] not many scars there,” Maguire said.
“You get to your peak years and you feel good and everything is there, but you’ve had a few ups and downs.
“You get towards the later times and the experience should make you a better player. We’ve seen that with Harry’s performances of late.
“That’s why experience is important, I felt it when I was playing, 31 or 32 were my best years of being and that sweet spot to do it physically still, but use the experiences to know what is coming.”
Maguire, who lost the United captaincy under Erik ten Hag in 2023, has lifted both the FA Cup trophy and the League Cup trophy during his spell with the Red Devils.
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