Manchester United’s potential acquisition of Ruben Amorim as their new manager means that the Red Devils are expected to see a shake up in their ranks in the coming weeks if he makes the move to Old Trafford – and defender Harry Maguire has been told that he could be a beneficiary of his arrival.
Maguire had seen his minutes dwindle under Erik ten Hag, and alongside being stripped of the captaincy, the England star will only see the Dutchman’s departure as a beneficial moment to his career.
Burt: Maguire ‘a Beneficiary’ Of Amorim Appointment
Harry Maguire has not seen regular minutes under Ruben Amorim
Speaking on the Sky Sports Back Pages podcast, Burt stated that Maguire will be a ‘beneficiary’ of Amorim’s arrival should the Portuguese boss make the move over to England – with Bruno Fernandes in the same boat, but Marcus Rashford having doubts cast over his future.
Harry Maguire’s Premier League statistics – Man Utd squad ranking | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats | Output | Squad rank |
Appearances | 5 | =14th |
Aerial Duels Won Per Game | 1.6 | =3rd |
Clearances Per Game | 1.8 | 7th |
Interceptions Per Game | 1.2 | 5th |
Match rating | 6.52 | 15th |
Burt said:
“I think Harry Maguire might be a big beneficiary of Amorim, because he likes a big, tall centre-half – and obviously Maguire could come back into the frame there.
“I think that the difficulty will be the sort of wider players, and also where somebody like, you know, Marcus Rashford fits in. I think Bruno Fernandes will benefit, so I think there are players there who obviously could be players for Amorim.”
The £80million signing has only started in five games for the club this season, taking the captain’s armband in the 7-0 win over Barnsley in the League Cup – but just three starts in the Premier League from nine has seen him fail to be preferred under Ten Hag and his only start in the Europa League was a dismal draw against Dutch side FC Twente.
Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and even Leny Yoro – despite his injuries – were all likely to have been ahead of him in the pecking order, but Amorim’s preference for three centre-backs and fewer midfielders would play into his hands.
Maguire is out of contract in the summer, and so he may not get long to impress Amorim, but with 246 appearances at Premier League level and 39 European games to his name, Maguire has featured a lot in competitions that United are in – and so his experience could be invaluable to help the Portuguese star settle into the club.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 30-10-24.