Maguire is on a reported £190,000-a-week salary at present and any new deal offered to the Sheffield-born star is likely to see a significant wage reduction, potentially to a contract with more performance-related bonuses.
Having shone for Leicester and at the 2018 World Cup with England, Maguire earnt his record-breaking move to Old Trafford and was initially a success in his early seasons at the club. Named as captain by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020, he was later stripped of captaincy by Erik ten Hag in 2023 and came close to leaving the club on multiple occasions amidst media criticism and scrutiny.
But Maguire’s return to form and his continued importance behind the scenes has served as a strong example to the less experienced members of the squad. Most recently, Maguire was named Man of the Match in United’s 3-2 win away at leaders Arsenal in the Premier League and is forming a strong partnership with Lisandro Martinez under Michael Carrick after recently returning from a thigh injury.
Carrick said of Maguire after his performance against Manchester City, in his return to the side for the first time since November: “I thought it gave us a strong foundation really with Licha [Martinez] and Harry. I felt it was a game for experience and knowing what it feels like. It was a big ask for H [Maguire] and credit to him. I think we can take for granted sometimes what players do but for him to play today and come through it.
“I’m not going to lie, it was a bit of a calculated gamble as well of how long he could play and if he could get through it because he’s literally trained for two or three days for probably eight or nine weeks, so it just shows you what it means really to him. I thought he was fantastic. Between him and Licha, they were so solid at the back and gave us the foundation to build on.”