Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has reportedly rejected a loan move to Serie A club Inter Milan.
According to Daily Star, Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire has snubbed a last-minute loan approach from Inter Milan to stay with the club for the rest of the season. The England international is prepared to wait until the summer before considering his future with at Manchestser United.
Manchester United splashed a whopping £80 million to acquire the services of Maguire from Leicester City back in 2019. And he has made a total of 160 appearances for the Red Devils as of yet. However, the record-breaking move has failed to bear fruit, and he has not hit the heights expected of him at Old Trafford.
His situation has gotten worse under his new boss, Erik ten Hag. While he has been massively underperforming for a long time, the 29-year-old was still a regular under Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, that has not been the case under the Dutch head coach.
The 29-year-old centre-back, who is a key player for his country, has made just 16 appearances this term, clocking up just 801 minutes on the pitch. Ten Hag has mostly favoured Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez as the first-choice centre-backs. But he gave Maguire the entire 90 minutes in Saturday’s FA Cup triumph against Reading.
With his future currently up in the air, the opportunity to join Serie A giants Inter Milan on loan to get regular playing time before the transfer deadline seemed plausible. However, Maguire wants to remain at Old Trafford until the summer before deciding on his future.
The Nerazzurri have earmarked Maguire as a potential successor for Milan Skriniar, who is on his way to PSG, having already signed a pre-contract with the Ligue 1 champions. The Serie A giants consider they can afford a loan transfer for Maguire for the rest of the season. This would allow them to receive a fee for Skriniar.
Indeed, Inter could receive as much as £17 million for Skriniar’s departure, allowing them to finance a move for Maguire and profit handsomely from the sale despite the complexities of his contract situation.
Simone Inzaghi prefers a 3-5-2 formation, which is identical to the one Maguire has thrived under Gareth Southgate at England. Being part of a back three offers the Manchester United captain more leeway to carry the ball forward and spray passes, and it also masks his weaknesses.
Maguire is not the only Manchester United defender Inter Milan are hovering about. They also made a loan proposal for his club teammate and Sweden international Victor Lindelof recently. But the Red Devils made it clear that they do not want to lose him at the current stage of the season.
Despite snubbing a deadline-day move, it is hard to see any future for Maguire at Manchester United. He has become a squad player under ten Hag this season and is well down the pecking order. Barring an injury, it appears unlikely that he will be handed a start. Having made it clear that he does not want to be a bit-part player, Maguire will most likely head for the exit door at the end of the season.
