Manchester United’s season may only just be getting underway, but the conversations around leadership and experience inside the dressing room remain louder than ever.
The Reds opened their campaign with a frustrating home defeat to Arsenal, one which left supporters eager for a response from key figures in the squad.
Behind the scenes, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS regime continue to reshape the club’s long-term direction, with Ruben Amorim given both authority and backing in the transfer market.
United are now operating with greater structure following sweeping changes in the executive team.
The squad, however, has been heavily scrutinised after last season’s poor league finish.
Questions have centred on who Amorim can trust to carry out his project, especially given his comments earlier this year that his squad was “starved of leaders.”
One man who has been central to that discussion is Harry Maguire – and now the defender has opened up about where he stands.
Manchester United blocked any chance of Harry Maguire leaving the club this summer – but the defender feels it would be “silly” to want to quit now anyway.
United triggered an option on Maguire’s contract in January, keeping him at Old Trafford for a further year, at a point when Amorim made clear how important leadership was to the group.
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Maguire explained to the BBC: “Last year, the clause was in their hands.
“There was no option for me there.
“There was no talking. It was just they activated it and it got extended.
I’m pretty sure the club made it clear this summer that I can’t leave on any terms.
A couple of clubs enquired and I think they got a quick response.”
That stance leaves Maguire able to speak to other clubs from January, with his deal now running down to next summer.
Yet the centre-back admits he feels something positive is finally happening at Old Trafford.
“I’m sure over the next few months we’ll have to have a conversation about where we want to go and if they want to extend.
“Obviously, I have something in my mind about what I want to do and where I want to be.
“I don’t want to put it out there to everybody but it’s an amazing club to play for and you’d be silly if you wanted to jump out of it as soon as you could.
“The hierarchy has come in, with [technical director] Jason [Wilcox] and the manager, and I feel like they’re taking it in the right direction.
“Since I started six years ago to now, it’s in a completely different place in terms of the structure behind the management staff.
We’re in a good place. A lot better place.”
Maguire’s words will come as encouragement for fans hoping to see experience and resilience at the core of Amorim’s rebuild, even if his long-term future remains up for discussion.
