Man Utd opt to 'block' departure of £30m defender - report

Manchester United have refused to offload Harry Maguire to West Ham, according to The Times.

Maguire’s future at Man United is highly uncertain after losing his starting spot last season.

Erik ten Hag stripped him of the club captaincy, further fueling his exit rumours.

United accepted a £30 million offer from West Ham earlier in the month, but personal terms were never agreed.

The Red Devils have reportedly changed their stance on Maguire amid rising injury problems in their squad.

Luke Shaw suffered a muscular injury last week and might spend a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

His understudy at left-back Tyrell Malacia is also out injured and has not been involved since pre-season.

Raphael Varane had fitness ‘complaints‘ that forced Ten Hag to take him off at half-time against Nottingham Forest.

United are also facing injury problems in other positions, with Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, Tom Heaton and Amad Diallo nursing their respective injuries.

Maguire is currently the fourth-choice centre-back option for Ten Hag.

The Dutchman chose Victor Lindelof and not Maguire to replace Varane at the break.

In the first game of the season, Lindelof was chosen ahead of Maguire when Lisandro Martinez was substituted.

This shows clearly that the United gaffer rates the Sweden international more than the former Leicester City defender.

In our view, Maguire made a mistake by turning down a move to the Hammers earlier this summer.

Ten Hag wants his team to play possession-based football.

He demands his centre-backs to be comfortable with the ball at their feet.

Maguire lacks that quality, and he is unlikely to improve in that department.

It would have been better for United to recoup some funds from Maguire’s sale and invest in other defenders like Jean-Clair Todibo or Benjamin Pavard.

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