18 Aug 2023 20:35:56
Harry Maguire not pictured with the squad for tomorrow. Make of that what you will.

1.) 18 Aug 2023
18 Aug 2023 22:27:01
Maybe he’s just not in the squad.

2.) 18 Aug 2023
18 Aug 2023 22:44:02
That’s what I’m saying, you’d expect he would be so maybe eth is sending him a message or he could just have a niggle.

3.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 01:15:47
Harry Maguire typifies the selfish, self righteous attitude forged under the Woodward regime. An over paid, over hyped, primadonna who cups his ears after scoring a goal for England against Albania and by his own admission has nothing to prove despite never winning a single trophy and being relegated 4 times in his career. This is the ex captain of Man Utd.

He’s a player that thinks he’s owned something for nothing. Despite being rewarded with an outrageous contract that his talent didn’t deserve, being paid more in a single month than most people earn in a lifetime, a contract he wouldn’t have been given by any other Club, he now blocks the progress of this once great football club all because of a sense of entitlement and self loathing.

He’s not interested in wining trophies, he doesn’t want the Club to succeed, he doesn’t care about the Club or the fans, he wants to continue to enjoy all the trappings of being a Man Utd player and if he’s not playing, he’s not being criticised, all whilst earning nearly £1m per month, football panacea for the likes of Maguire.

Is it any wonder the Club is in disarray and has hardly won a notable trophy in over a decade. The ex captain of Man Utd is happy to sit on the bench and potentially lose his England place because of an over inflated ego and sense of entitlement.

Some might argue he deserves his payout, maybe he does and that’s fine but let’s not forget the real losers are EtH and the fans.

There can be no progress when the likes of Maguire are allowed to fester at the football Club. The tail is wagging the dog. EtH has benched him, stripped him of the captaincy, tried to sell him yet Maguire lingers around, like a bad smell, a player not wanted but prepared to stay and sacrifice his career only for the money he knows only too well he could never earn anywhere else.

These players are so short sighted, he might get a 4-5 year contact at West Ham probably north of £100k per week, hardly on the bread line despite the cost of living crisis. He won’t play for Utd, he can sit on the bench for another two years and count his money but who’s going to want a 33 year old Harry Maguire that’s hardly kicked a football for two years when his contract expires in 2025!

A serious Club would pay him off and kick him out. Sadly Utd haven’t been a serious football Club for sometime now.

4.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 06:56:23
DLIB

Would that have an FFP consequence in any way - leading to a nil or minus affect on budget?
I don't know enough about the rules, but there must be some solid reason somewhere.

5.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 08:06:46
Or perhaps he just didn’t fancy going to West Ham, which is totally understandable, and is weighing up his options carefully as is his right, as once you leave Utd it’s all pretty much downhill.

6.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 09:42:02
After reading various snippets another perspective?
the alleged difference between west ham wages and united current was approx 70k per week, given 2 years left on deal with us equates to roughly 7.25 million. its reported that he was offered 6m to quit for his reduced earnings but wanted over double which suggests he wants it for the duration of a 4 year deal at west ham? This could be his agent, or him spitting the dummy out over treatment by the club. It could be negotiated to an agreeable sum as surely he and his team will realise his value will plummet as he gets older and probably less game time . I firmly believe he will go as I can't see him being so numb as to not realise his time is up and he can still pursue his, or what's left of his career with a life changing amount of cash. Just my opion guys.

7.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 10:13:51
DLIB, I'm not a fan of Maguire, I never have been. I questioned his signing when we were first linked with him for 50m the season before we ended up signing him for a frankly ridiculous 80m. I said at the time that he was an average defender, that didn't suit a front foot approach to the game. Many argued that he was a leader, to which I said I hadn't seen anything from him to suggest he was a leader, and it was only in the press that he was called a leader. He certainly wasn't one of the leaders at Leicester and he wasn't for England.

I think people get confused when they see a player shouting at his teammates and complaining when things go wrong and see that as leadership. When in fact it's often the opposite. That is someone who is not taking responsibility and is blaming his teammates. That is the complete opposite of leadership.

A leader would be clapping his hands, geeing the players up, getting them fired up to keep going and keep fighting. They by the very name make sure their performance is exemplary, they focus on their game and lead by example. They don't barate their teammates, or beat them down and blame them. They accept you win as a team and you lose as a team.

I never saw any of that from Maguire before he joined our club and I haven't seen any of it since he joined.

He has been a poor signing in terms of what he has achieved on the pitch and a horrific signing when you consider the cost of the deal both in transfer fee and wages. This was ultimately compounded by the decision to make him club captain.

That said none of that is his fault, I don't blame him for not being good enough, I don't blame him for being a poor leader, and I don't blame him for his transfer fee and wages. I also don't know him so I find it difficult to judge his character, from what I've read and been told by those who know him better he's a nice enough lad. I don't know his motives, or his thinking behind the decision he has made to turn down West Ham. I can guess at it, but that will still remain a guess.

I do blame the club, the people who decided to sign him, the people who scouted him, the people who negotiated the deal and his wages.

Those are the people responsible for the situation we find ourselves in. They recruited a player who clearly wasn't good enough, they chose to pay a massively inflated fee that would almost guarantee that it would be near impossible to sell him without taking a hit. They were the ones who gave him a ridiculous wage that would further make it near impossible to sell him.

And to be frank that wasn't the first deal these people had made those mistakes, which shows either a total arrogance to not learn from their mistakes, or a severe lack of intelligence to not learn from them.

It also probably suggests a lack of accountability from those higher up and the owners.

You can be damn sure that if I owned the club and had agreed to finance deals for Di Maria, Pogba, Lukaku, Maguire, Sancho and Antony for absolutely massive fees and high wages and as yet none of them have proven to not only live up to their price tag, but to even prove themselves as key players for the team on the pitch. That I would be asking the people who agreed those deal to explain what went wrong and why they agreed to pay so much for an asset that represents such low value. I'd be asking them to explain their role in the situation and who is to blame. I would be holding them accountable and review their impact and role at the club.

But that doesn't seem to have happened, and that has allowed mistake after mistake to happen, compounding them and driving the club further away from its ambitions.

None of that is Maguires fault though, and I won't blame him for refusing to take a backwards step, a step down along with a financial hit. Why should he be the one to make the sacrifices for other people's mistakes. If he is to have to take a step down in his career then the bare minimum the club owe him is to make sure he gets what was promised to him.

Maybe he just didn't want to join West Ham, or maybe the club couldn't come to an acceptable agreement with him to compensate him for the loss of earnings.

Either way I won't get my knickers in a twist over it and I won't start judging the character of a person for a situation I know very little about.

If he stays he stays, I doubt he'll play much anyway. In an ideal world he leaves and the club brings in a better suited player to replace him. But for that to happen it also has to be ideal or at least acceptable for the player.

Unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world, the club can only negotiate on the offers they receive, and whether any of those options are acceptable for the player is another thing entirely.

I'm sure the club are doing all they reasonable can, and the player is also having to make tough life decisions that will impact his career, his financial security, and his family. Hopefully an acceptable solution can be found, but I see no benefit from demonising anyone involved.

8.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 11:25:31
Eric - What are his options? Please enlighten us? Who in their right mind is going to pay him north of £200k per week?

The truth is Maguire was being vastly over paid at Man Utd and while he hangs around the Club can’t improve.

He’s been the worst Man Utd captain in living memory and one of the Clubs worst signings in it’s history.

If you have sympathy for Maguire, then I can admit this is a mess entirely of the Clubs own making. A proper football Club recognises it’s mistakes and takes it’s medicine, no matter how bad it might taste. It understands it’s the only way to get better.

When Harry Maguire was a little boy, he probably went to bed dreaming of winning the World Cup not how much money he would make. Football was his passion not a vehicle to make himself rich. A football career is short and precious. He’s made more money than his wildest dreams. He’s been the Man Utd captain but it’s over now. He’s not won anything in his career. England will be one of the favourites for the Euros next summer and considering his age maybe his last international tournament. He’s Southgate’s darling but he’ll lose his place if he’s sat on the bench at Man Utd. Imagine how he’ll feel if he’s not part of that historic occasion. Maybe counting his money will help.

He’s being badly advised in my opinion, he’s become a meme, booed by his own fans and not wanted by his manager. He should listen to the little boy inside, go and play football, prolong his career, dream of scoring that winning goal.

Shappy - I’ve not demonised him, this isn’t personal. This is about football. I don’t care if he’s the nicest bloke in the world, when did that become a criteria to play for Man Utd? I don’t get what some people don’t understand, the manager doesn’t want him. He wants a replacement which he can’t get whilst Maguire hangs around. How can EtH succeed when he’s forced to keep players he doesn’t think are good enough? He’s become like the Glazers, hanging around for a payday he doesn’t deserve. The arrogance of believing West Ham to be a downwards step is astonishing. They are premier league club, watched by over 50 000 supporters every week and have just won a European trophy. Going to West Ham is not a downwards step. It’s an opportunity to play professional football, the very thing he dreamed about doing as a kid.

I don’t care about Harry Maguire, in fact if this was Pogba, Sanchez, Di Maria or some other foreign player refusing to leave and demanding their contract be paid in full there would be uproar.

I care about Man Utd being successful which won’t happen whilst the manager is forced to keep players he doesn’t think are good enough. Just let that sink in, the manager doesn’t think he’s good enough, he wants a replacement and you don’t care if he leaves.

I want Utd to be successful, that can’t happen whilst the manager is forced to keep players that he doesn’t think are good enough and whether you think West Ham is a step down or Maguire deserves a full payout surely we can all agree on that.

9.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 12:57:49
We’ll find out in the next couple of weeks I guess.

10.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 13:13:07
Defo mate let’s see what happens.

11.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 13:48:05
DLIB, you have definitely demonised him and assassinated his character.

"Harry Maguire typifies the selfish, self righteous attitude"

"He’s a player that thinks he’s owned something for nothing"

"He’s not interested in wining trophies, he doesn’t want the Club to succeed, he doesn’t care about the Club or the fans"

"The ex captain of Man Utd is happy to sit on the bench and potentially lose his England place because of an over inflated ego and sense of entitlement. "

"a player not wanted but prepared to stay and sacrifice his career only for the money he knows only too well he could never earn anywhere else"

Well there's five quotes from your post where you tear into his character, and make wild assumptions about his motives. When in truth you have absolutely no idea about who he is or what has driven him to make the decisions he has.

I get that you want United to be successful, we all do. I get that you are frustrated, but slagging someone off for making a decision just reflects poorly on you. Which is a great shame as you are a top poster on here.

As for not accepting that West Ham are a step down to a club like Manchester United is simply madness and a refusal to accept the obvious.

I never said West Ham aren't a great club, just that anyone who understands football will see them as a step down from Manchester United.

Do you believe Declan Rice made a sidewards step in his career when he moved from West Ham to join Arsenal this summer? Or did that move represent a step up for him?

You slate Maguire for not winning anything of note, and a lack of ambition, while seemingly suggesting that he has a greater chance of doing so at West Ham as opposed to Manchester United.

I'd argue the opposite and suggest that he is far more likely to gain a few more medals at Manchester United over the next two years than he would at West Ham over the next four years.

Likewise I'm pretty sure you would consider getting a 50% pay cut to work for a smaller, less prestigious company, while doing the same job role a backward step or stepdown in your career.

So why wouldn't Maguire consider that the same. Moving to West Ham from Manchester United and receiving a 50% pay cut absolutely represents a stepdown for a professional football player.

If the club expect Maguire to do so then the least they can do is honour his contract and pay him what he is owed.

If they don't then the buck stops with the club and not the player.

12.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 14:38:33
Shappy - He’s 5th choice CB, the manager doesn’t want him and he’s booed by his own fans.

So being Man Utd’s 5th choice CB is still better than playing for West Ham in your opinion?! ! Is that what you’re saying? He won’t win anything at Man Utd because he won’t play. He will contribute nothing and if Utd win anything it will be despite him rather than because of him.

The Club is in a mess because it’s badly run and also it has players like Maguire that prefer to sit on the bench and cash their pay cheque rather than play elsewhere.

Maguire earns an absolute fortune, he’s rich beyond belief, he probably wouldn’t even notice the reduction in salary. West Ham are also willing to pay him a fortune and he’ll probably earn more at West Ham over the four or five years than the next two years at Man Utd sitting on the bench. Like I said earlier who wants a 33 year old Harry Maguire that hasn’t kicked a ball for two years. When does he go from there? if I took a 50% pay cut I’d be homeless mate and I bet that applies for most other posters, you can’t compare the two, you’re so out of touch it’s unreal. Maguire would probably still earn around £5m a year at West Ham, around £20-25m over a four or 5 year contract. This is about ego and a player who clearly thinks he’s better than he is.

I suppose you also have sympathy for the Glazers and feel sorry for them that they’ve only been offered £5b and as they wait for more the Club stagnates.

You can’t seem to grasp that he’s not wanted yet he won’t leave. He’s rich beyond 99% of most peoples wildest dreams yet he demands more and you support him. He doesn’t need the money. His performances have been terrible yet he believes the Club owes him something after making him one of the best paid players in the world and delivering nothing in return.

What does it say about someone’s character when they have an over inflated ego, think they’ve achieved something they’ve not, are stinking rich yet demand money after delivering nothing and think being Man Utd’s 5th choice CB is better than playing for a Club like West Ham. We simply can’t be successful whilst the likes of Maguire linger at the Club and stagnate the re building process. We need rid of him so we can improve. I’d pay him off and kick him out, embrace the lesson, take the medicine and support the manager but then we have the Glazers who like Maguire enjoy all the esteem of Man Utd’s illustrious history and success to promote their own self interest and wealth whilst delivering nothing in return.

13.) 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023 20:34:16
Dlib your first mistake was writing an essay, your second mistake was writing an essay in response to a Shappy essay, your third mistake was writing an essay as a tool to argue with Shappy, your fourth mistake was clarifying your points to blinkered Shappy. Please learn the art of succinct writing, the pair of you ??
For the record, I can't summarise either points of view (I'm not reading all that), but Maguire is a helmet and needs releasing from his contract, to argue otherwise is un-united.