This Week's Wild Take: With Harry Maguire's proposed move to West Ham United having fallen through due to his reluctance to leave Manchester United, it is becoming increasingly clear the England international has no ambition.
Last week, the Hammers and the Red Devils reportedly agreed on a fee in the region of £30 million (R729 million) for the centre-back. It seemed like the player would finally end his four-year association with the Manchester outfit, with his stock having fluctuated in recent seasons, most notably under current manager Erik ten Hag.
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The Dutch boss has showed little faith in the former club captain, limiting him to a fringe role in the squad, with the likes of Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof all ahead of the Englishman in central defence. The recent decision to strip Maguire of the captaincy and give it to Bruno Fernandes was a telling call by Ten Hag, further indicating his lack of confidence in the 30-year-old. Although Maguire came out to express that he was deeply disappointed by the decision, though, his reduced role in the squad seems to have done very little to convince him to look for a move elsewhere.
Following the collapse of his proposed move to West Ham this week, a source close to the player told Sky Sports: "Harry respects West Ham and David Moyes, but to be clear there was never an agreement in place between Harry and West Ham. The process was less advanced than portrayed in the media. For example, at no point has Harry spoken to David Moyes. Harry remains settled at United, loves the club and believes he will get plenty of opportunities to play this season."
With these new claims that he wants to stay and fight for his place, a return to the Red Devils' starting XI seems like a tall order, especially as the Premier League giants are reportedly searching the market for another centre-back option, with Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard believed to be a leading candidate.
There is now a serious prospect that should he stay, he will be the fourth-choice centre-back, while Pavard's possible arrival would only increase the competition for minutes in that position. Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen and OGC Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo are also reportedly on United's radar, although no official bid has been presented for any of these players.
And during United's 1-0 win over Wolves on Monday night, Ten Hag opted to bring on Lindelof for Martinez at half-time, which should raise red flags for Maguire despite his seeming naivety.
Staying at Old Trafford and not playing regularly will definitely test England manager Gareth Southgate's trust in Maguire as one of his regular starters. According to various reports, Southgate is facing increasing pressure to drop Maguire ahead of the 2024 UEFA European Championship in Germany, with the emergence of Chelsea defender Levi Colwill offering the Three Lions coach an alternative for the out-of-sorts centre-back.
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Ten Hag, meanwhile, has insisted that he's open to letting the former Leicester City star stay in his team, and this seems to be making the player quite oblivious to the direness of his situation. As an England regular, accepting a bench role at United arguably signals a lack of ambition from Maguire, who looks to be caught up in the prestige of playing for the most successful team in Premier League history.
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