Harry Maguire has insisted it would be “silly” to consider leaving Manchester United at this stage, stressing that manager Ruben Amorim has effectively ruled out any summer transfer exit for him.
The England international, who joined United from Leicester City in 2019 for £80 million on a six-year contract with an option for an additional season, recently saw that option triggered by the club.
The decision extended his stay automatically, and United have since made it clear they want him to remain for the current campaign.
“Last year was the clause in their hands so there was no option for me there,” Maguire said Thursday. “There was no talking. It was just they activated it and it got extended.
“This year, obviously I’m up at the end of the year. I’m pretty sure the club have made it aware this summer that I can’t leave the club on any terms with other clubs enquiring about my things and my position with my contract.”
Looking ahead, the 32-year-old confirmed discussions about his long-term future are still to come.
“I’m sure over the next few months they’ll sit down, and we’ll have to have a conversation about where we want to go and if they want to extend or obviously the transfer window will open again in January.
“Obviously I have something in my mind about what I want to do and what I want to be.
“I don’t want to put it out there to everybody but it’s an amazing club to play for and you’d be silly if you wanted to jump out of it as soon as you could.”
United’s Direction Under Amorim
United endured a disappointing 15th-place finish in the Premier League last season, but Maguire believes the arrival of Amorim and director of football Jason Wilcox has the club moving positively.
“We’re in a good place, positive as a club and I feel like the hierarchy has come in and Jason (Wilcox, director of football) and the manager, I feel like they’re taking it in the right direction,” he said.
“I think it’s, since I started six years ago to where it is now, in a completely different place in terms of the structure behind the management staff.”
Despite their opening-day 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, decided by Riccardo Calafiori’s early goal, Maguire is encouraged by the impact of United’s new attacking additions.
“I think last year we just weren’t as big a threat going forward as we should have been for this club,” he said during an appearance at the Manchester United Foundation’s multi-sports holiday camp in Stretford.
“This club demands players who create chances, score goals and that’s what it’s done throughout its history.
“So, I think Bryan and Matheus coming in, Sesko coming off the bench, these are players who have proven that they’re going to score goals and create chances.”