Harry Maguire has been pushed out of Manchester United’s first-choice back line, but the club is not ready to let him walk. Senior figures at INEOS believe his standing in the dressing room, and his influence on the younger center-backs, is worth another year on the books.
The club is set to activate the one-year option in Maguire’s current deal, according to a report via The i Paper carried by The Peoples Person, extending his stay at Old Trafford until the summer of 2028.
The rationale is explicitly about leadership. Maguire is described as a popular dressing-room figure whose experience helps guide youngsters such as Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro.
Yoro has already said what that mentorship looks like. In March, the France defender told reporters the pair spoke constantly on and off the pitch.
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“If he can stay next season, it’s really good for us. So I hope he’s going to extend his contract and he can stay with us,” Yoro said.
“Playing with Harry, with all the experience he has, he gives me a lot of tips, speaks with me a lot on the pitch.”
Shaw and Martínez tipped to leave
The mood around Maguire’s defensive colleagues is very different. Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martínez and Maguire are all in the final year of their deals, and the signals point to Shaw and Martínez exiting in summer 2027.
Martínez appears set on walking away. Shaw, meanwhile, may have to accept a reduced deal, worth less than his current £200,000-a-week salary, if he wants to stay.
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INEOS wants a wider defensive overhaul in 2027 and is wary of repeating the Casemiro situation, where a veteran was left to carry the back line past his peak; the plan is to phase a replacement in gradually alongside Maguire. Adrien Truffert has been identified as a priority target after United missed out on Lewis Hall.
Carrick’s week gets worse
The decision lands at a brutal moment for the club. Michael Carrick’s side were thrashed 4-1 by Como in the Champions League on Wednesday, United’s worst defeat in continental football since 1994. Nico Paz scored twice and set up Tasos Douvikas, with Álvaro Ramón adding a fourth; Joshua Zirkzee pulled one back in stoppage time.
Carrick now faces intensifying speculation about his job, with Antonio Conte and Eddie Howe among the names reported as alternatives.
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