Man United make Harry Maguire exit decision 'I'm told...' - Insider
Man United are still keen to let Harry Maguire leave the club as his contract nears its end, according to the club's former chief scout.
Mick Brown, who also spent a period as Sir Alex Ferguson's number two in over a decade at the club, exclusively told Football Insider that United are "hell-bent" on getting rid of their former captain and are expected to let him leave for free.
Maguire, 31, has less than a year remaining on his current contract at Old Trafford and is increasingly likely to leave upon the expiry of that deal.
Brown explained that, despite the defender's performances when selected by the boss, it looks unlikely that his long-term future will be at United.
United have struggled defensively across the last two seasons, having shipped 58 goals in 38 games last year, while they also suffered 3-0 defeats at home to both Liverpool and Tottenham in the opening stages of this season.
Those defensive issues saw Ten Hag switch his usual first-choice defence of Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt for Maguire and Jonny Evans against Aston Villa.
After securing a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw at Villa Park, with Evans named man of the match, while Maguire was heaped with praise for his display before limping off injured.
However, it seems to have made little difference to the latter's future, with Ten Hag still keen to see him out of the exit door by the end of the season.
Man United to let Harry Maguire leave in new contract development
Brown previously told Football Insider that West Ham had seen an offer of £20million for the centre-back rejected when United tried to offload him in the summer of 2023.
Since joining United in 2019, Maguire spent a spell as the club captain and established himself as an England regular, picking up 215 appearances for United and 64 caps for England.
Brown, who remains very well-connected at Old Trafford, insisted the decision from Ten Hag and the United hierarchy has left him baffled given the defender's experience and ability.
"I've never known of any club to have success without a strong defence," he told Football Insider.
"Harry Maguire has been, and probably still is, both England and Man United's best defender.
"And I'm told they're still hell-bent on getting him out of the door.
"I'm looking at the other defenders they've got and I'm thinking some of those other options are in no way comparable to Maguire.
"It seems like no matter what he does, the manager doesn't want to put his faith in him.
"If they use him regularly and let him play to his strengths, he makes the United defence better.
"But if he's out of contract at the end of the year, I expect they'll let him go, because they've been looking to shift him for years now."
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