United Nightmare Over
Harry Maguire’s ill-fated journey as a Manchesrer United player is set to end with a £30 million move to West Ham United. Maguire, 30, was signed from Leicester City four years ago amid much fanfare, yet his stint at Old Trafford has hardly gone to plan.
A successful 2019/20 season began when, in his debut, Maguire was named man-of-the-match against Chelsea. Under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Maguire became one of the club’s most important players and was handed the captaincy after Antonio Valencia left at the start of 2020.
Injury would end his 2020/21 season early, and his absence was strongly felt in both the Premier League and the Europa League final loss to Villareal. After a year and a half in Manchester, Maguire was beginning to look like a great signing and his pricey fee seemed justified.
The 2021/22 season, however, was a disaster for both Maguire and Manchester United as a whole - the defender producing shambolic performances seemingly every week. A particular low was the 5-0 thrashing against Liverpool at Old Trafford, where Maguire, Fred, and Scott McTominay were pilloried for their poor showings.
Other disasters occurred against Leicester City and Manchester City and, within a few weeks, Harry Maguire had become a laughing stock and his image was plastered on memes all over the internet.
Criticism Became Personal
Criticism of Maguire’s hapless performances were justified, but far too often did the conversation turn into personal attacks. The centre-back has spoken of offensive and illegal messages being sent to him, some of which referencing his 2020 arrest whilst on holiday in Greece.
The pressures of playing for a club as big as United have clearly got to Maguire, and I’m sure he’ll thrive at a club like West Ham.
The Hammers are set to rebuild their squad after the £105 million departure of captain Declan Rice earlier this summer, and an invigorated Harry Maguire could prove a great piece of business. The defender clearly has talent, and hopefully David Moyes is able to bring him back to his best.
Let’s not forget that Maguire was included in the Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament only a few years ago and that his performances for England are always far more consistent. The sooner Moyes can harness this version of Maguire, the better.
I fully support Harry Maguire’s next career move and I hope he rediscovers his best self away from the pressures of Manchester. Whether you like him or not, nobody can argue that he’s always carried himself with pride.
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