West Ham should return for Harry Maguire as Sam Allardyce urges him to leave Manchester United
Former West Ham and England boss Sam Allardyce has urged Harry Maguire to leave Manchester United after his move to East London fell through, and the Hammers should return for him in January.
The England international defender has had a torrid time of it lately, with seemingly nothing going right for him after he scored an unfortunate own-goal in England’s victory over Scotland, and Allardyce has called for him to find a fresh start away from Manchester United.
West Ham explored a deal to bring Maguire to the London Stadium in the summer transfer window, but complications surrounding his wage and a large payout from Manchester United ultimately saw the deal break down [The Guardian, 15 August].
Speaking live on talkSPORT as shared via their Twitter account on 13 September, Allardyce stated: “I think he is [going to have to be strong]. I think by not leaving Manchester United this summer because he hasn’t got the right place, or doesn’t think it’s the right place to go just yet, he’s sort of hung fire.
“You don’t become a bad player overnight, you know. The manager [Erik ten Hag] doesn’t fancy him, fine, so he needs to go somewhere else and find a new home, and protect his England international career.
“In the end, Gareth [Southgate] will have to leave him out if he doesn’t get games.”
With new calls for Maguire to exit Old Trafford, if the opportunity arises in January, West Ham should be among the frontrunners to return to their possible deal for him and will hope for a smoother run at things with Maguire’s England place now on the line.
The international break was not a positive one for the Manchester United defender. His poor positioning led to Ukraine’s opening goal in England’s first fixture, while an own-goal put Scotland back in the game in their second, only adding fuel to the fire surrounding him right now.
These performances coming on top of the very impressive displays by Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi and Brighton captain Lewis Dunk at the back seem to be adding up to Maguire finally losing his spot in Southgate’s first-choice side.
Perhaps this will inspire the defender to leave Manchester United despite his reluctance to do so in the summer, with a permanent place in a Premier League side providing his best opportunity to return to his role at the European Championships next summer.
His continued errors may put some at West Ham off of the move, but a fresh start away from the toxicity surrounding Manchester United at the moment could see him return to his best form, with David Moyes’ style ideal for his game.
In other West Ham news, a journalist has shared a new update on Jesse Lingard’s situation.