Man United told to pay off Harry Maguire to get rid of dressing room ‘disease’
Man United have been told what they must do if they are to finally get centre-back Harry Maguire off the books by a former Premier League striker.
The Red Devils spent big to sign the England international from Leicester City back in the summer of 2019, although he has struggled to find consistency with both form and fitness at Old Trafford.
Even so, Maguire did have his contract extended by Man United until the summer of 2026 earlier this season.
That is despite the fact that the likes of West Ham have previously seen moves to sign Maguire collapse, leaving him at Old Trafford.
Now, Dean Saunders has suggested that the club may have to take drastic action if they are to move the 32-year-old on.
Harry Maguire message sent after Jim Ratcliffe message
Speaking in a recent interview, Jim Ratcliffe, who is now in control at Man United, did not hold back over the club’s squad.
The INEOS owner named five players who are contracted to the Old Trafford club who he believes are not good enough for the wage they are being paid.
Ultimately, Maguire was not one of the players singled out by Ratcliffe, but Saunders does still think Man United should be looking to bring his contract to an end.
| Harry Maguire for Man United in 2024/25 | Total (as per SofaScore) |
| Appearances | 20 |
| Clean Sheets | 1 |
| Tackles per Game | 1.2 |
| Clearances per Game | 3.3 |
| Errors Leading to Shot | 1 |
| Errors Leading to Goal | 0 |
After being asked on talkSPORT what the players will make of those comments from Ratcliffe, the former Wales international said: “Can I just say, you know people don’t realise that being backed by an owner of a club not all about bring players in.
“It’s writing cheques to get rid of the disease in the dressing room, if you let that disease keep going, it gets bigger and bigger.
“So for example, they’ve tried to sell Harry Maguire about five times and obviously nobody can afford his wages.
“You’ve got to write a cheque to Harry Maguire, and say ‘off you go’, and you’re writing cheques to get rid of player’s contracts, at least you’ve got a dressing room then that’s all pulling in the same direction.
“So that’s just as important as bringing players in.”
Man United have big contract call to make
Football Insider Verdict
Listening to these comments it is hard not to feel some sympathy for Maguire, even if he has not always been good enough to justify playing and being paid as much as he is at Old Trafford.
In spite of that, the defender’s attitude has never been called into question while he has been at Man United so the line about “disease” when using Maguire as an example does feel harsh.
Even so, it is right that the centre-back likely does need to be moved on, and that it is going to be hard to find a buyer who can afford a transfer fee and his wages, meaning his contract may have to be paid up.
It is already being suggested Ratcliffe will have to spend around £300million at Man United just to rectify the financial situation, and he will not like having to add to that cost with moves such as this.
Beyond that, plans for a new stadium to replace Old Trafford are also expected to impact investment in the Man United squad.
Paying off Maguire could further reduce that budget, and leave the club short on numbers as well, which also emphasises the challenging position the club are in here.