By 90min | Created at 2024-12-16 14:47:37 | Updated at 2024-12-16 18:56:56
4 hours ago
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has described early contract talks with the club as "really positive" as he nears the final six months of his current deal.
Maguire is still on the initial six-year contract he signed when he made the record-breaking £80m move to Old Trafford from Leicester City in the summer of 2019. Those terms are due to run out at the end of this season, although the club also holds a 12-month option to extend until 2026.
"I haven't really thought about it," Maguire told reporters after United emerged victorious from a dramatic Manchester derby on Sunday.
"I've still got this year to go with an option in [the club's] hands. But all the signs are positive at the moment, and the chat that I'm having is really positive."
Maguire appears to have a role under new boss Ruben Amorim / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages
Maguire's role in the United team has changed substantially from when he arrived five and a half years ago. The England centre-back was brought in as the world's most expensive defender, a transfer record which hasn't yet been broken, and was immediately appointed club captain.
A loss of form, followed by frustrating injuries, saw his game-time diminish under former manager Erik ten Hag, before the captaincy was permanently transferred to Bruno Fernandes.
Maguire has generally put his fitness issues behind him, but he was forced to miss a number of games recently across September, October and November, having also been ruled out of chunks of last season and deemed not fit enough to go to Euro 2024 with England.
But it's clear that Maguire does have a role under new head coach Ruben Amorim, appearing in each Premier League game since returning to fitness last month. That included being trusted for his experience to start Sunday's victorious Manchester derby ahead of teenage talent Leny Yoro.
