The Manchester United squad has been in a constant state of upheaval ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and somehow, are in need of another one!
Ruben Amorim will take this Man Utd team into their first summer with him at the helm, making it easy to presume that large-scale summer change is coming.
While this level of upheaval is not ideal, there’s a small flipside to it which is that the players who survive this will almost certainly be the type any manager would like in his team.
One such player almost left the club in two different seasons in differing circumstances but made his comeback, showing his elite mentality that has made him a favourite of Ruben Amorim.
Ruben Amorim’s ‘leader’ almost left Man Utd twice
Amorim is overseeing such a horrendous season at Old Trafford that Man Utd fans would probably not be sad to see the backs of at least 70% of the current squad in the summer.
However, amidst the hubris, some players have emerged as clear favourites of the manager and that has been as per expectation.
Everyone knew Amorim liked Manuel Ugarte from his time at Sporting, Bruno Fernandes is the definition of professionalism, and Amad was on the ascent before Amorim’s arrival.
However, it is the rise (again!) of Harry Maguire that needs to be appreciated, with the England international probably thought of as an expendable asset when Amorim came.
Fast forward four months later, and Amorim has declared Maguire a “leader” after his recent improvement, with the Englishman’s reliability and professionalism making him indispensable again.
Maguire has been close to leaving Man Utd for two summers in a row now but he’s used that speculation as fuel to improve at the club instead of an excuse to down the tools.
Harry Maguire has a future at Man Utd on one condition
It seems like Maguire has had to prove himself at the club every since barring the one he arrived in but he’s succeeded every time.
The club have taken up the option in his contract to take it to the end of the next season which leaves more time for both parties to choose what to do.
Maguire could have easily been alongside Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof, set to leave this summer but he fought back and became a leader for Amorim.
Maguire can’t play with De Ligt but he definitely has a future at Man Utd because he’s such a seamless fit in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 as the central centre-back.
For that to happen, though, his new contract will need to reflect his reduced status as that of squad player, nowhere near his wages of about £200k/week currently.
If the Amorim project starts becoming successful, then he would be easier to convince to remain on reduced terms because it’s unlikely he gets that money elsewhere anyway.
Once again, he’s come back from the brink with his reputation enhanced.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/C9cOIva