Harry Maguire avoids step towards ‘oblivion’ by not joining West Ham United – Simon Jordan
Harry Maguire can avoid a step towards “oblivion” by not moving from Manchester United to West Ham, according to Simon Jordan.
The centre-back has struggled for minutes under Erik ten Hag this season, with the Hammers reportedly keen on bringing Maguire to East London, according to TeamTalk.
And Jordan, who is an admirer of Maguire’s determination to fight for his place at Man United, believes the England international in doing so is avoiding being essentially forgotten about should he move to a club like West Ham.
“I imagine he will have to be dragged out kicking and screaming from Old Trafford and while I don’t admire him completely as a player, he, at least, seems determined to try and change the narrative at his club and play his part, rather than taking a giant step towards oblivion at somewhere like West Ham,” Jordan wrote for the Daily Mail (page 75, 23 March).
“He wants to prove his point. We are not talking Winston Bogarde. Or Ryan Fraser. He hasn’t thrown the baby out with the bath water. He has been prepared to play, when asked.
“And I’d much rather that than a player, like Fraser, who I once called a turd for the circumstances in which he departed Bournemouth as they were being relegated and he wouldn’t extend his contract by a month to help them out. Now we see him dispatched to train with the juniors by Eddie Howe. Give me Maguire’s attitude over someone like Fraser any day.”
A good move?
As Jordan noted, Maguire has certainly remained both professional and persistent in his fight for regular football at Man United, but such football has not been forthcoming.
And that looks set to remain the case at Old Trafford, with regular centre-back pair Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez forming a strong partnership under Ten Hag.
Maguire has been handed just 11 Premier League appearances this season, and has also been overlooked in recent Europa League matches and in the latter stages of the League Cup, with the FA Cup representing his only real opportunities for minutes on the pitch.
West Ham, on the other hand, are seemingly in need of defensive reinforcements and would be very foolish to not pursue the England defender.
Despite his club situation, Maguire is still a firm fixture of Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad and could feature against Italy in the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier in Naples.