28 May 2023 , 21:24
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Out-of-favour Manchester United defender Harry Maguire wants more starts next season after being linked with a loan move to either one of four Italian giants.
Juventus, AC Milan, Inter and Roma have all been tipped to make a move for Maguire, who's ended up as fifth-choice centre-back under manager Erik ten Hag. The England international, 30, was handed a rare start by Ten Hag for Sunday's 2-1 win at home to Fulham which confirmed a third-place finish for United, as the Premier League campaign drew to a close.
With his future coming to the fore ahead of the summer transfer window, Maguire was asked by MUTV if he'd have liked to have started more often for the Red Devils this term. "Yeah, of course," the former Leicester star, who United shelled out £80million for in the summer of 2019, admitted post-match on Sunday.
"Listen, we have a lot of competition for places and that's what a big club needs. Lots of strength in depth. I think you've seen today, after 20 minutes, it was a really positive performance.
"[We had] lads who stepped in, lads who haven't played as much and I think the manager and his staff can rely upon us and know that, if he makes changes, we can do the job, so it's good to be part of this squad. I think if we're going to be successful this season and next season and the season after, we're going to need a big squad."
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Give Me Sport suggest that Maguire could find a new home in Italy with any of the four potential suitors, which is especially notable after England boss Gareth Southgate admitted that the 30-year-old's international place is under threat because of a lack of game-time. "Inevitably it's not a situation that can continue forever," Southgate confessed this week.
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Harry Maguire's future at Manchester United is under threat, with a loan move now suggested (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)"Of course the longer that situation goes on the more concerning it is and we've got, in Marc Guehi, Lewis Dunk, Tyrone Mings, players who are playing well without the same experiences of club European football or international football. But we've got to keep searching for competition in that area of the pitch."
Maguire, who's still club captain at Old Trafford, will be desperate to feature in the Red Devils' final game of the 2023-24 season, a mouth-watering FA Cup final clash with bitter rivals Manchester City at Wembley next Saturday. "The season is not finished yet, but up to now, it's been a positive season from where we were and I must say we're making progress," he added.
"It's been a big improvement and it's a step in the right direction."