Harry Maguire earns extra year but Ruben Amorim demands leadership
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Ruben Amorim has said Harry Maguire’s one-year option will be triggered “happily” but has warned the former captain to improve his leadership and form to help Manchester United turn around their poor results. The head coach also said that the club were close to agreeing new terms with Amad Diallo, one of United’s best players this season. “Amad is near,” Amorim said.
Maguire, who joined from Leicester in 2019 for £80m, is suited to Amorim’s back-three formation. The triggering of the extra year on the 31-year-old’s contract, taking it to June 2026, constitutes a considerable turnaround in his fortunes after he was stripped of the captaincy by Erik ten Hag in summer 2023 and almost joined West Ham.
Amorim said: “Harry Maguire: [we are] going to trigger our option. I spoke with him this morning and I told him that he has to improve his game on the pitch. We need him a lot and also he has to improve as a leader, because we all know the situation that he had here but we need him a lot at this moment so we are going to happily trigger the option for Harry.”.
Maguire took the armband during Monday’s 2-0 defeat by Newcastle at Old Trafford when Lisandro Martínez, deputising as captain for the suspended Bruno Fernandes, was substituted on 65 minutes. Amorim highlighted a desperate need for on-field leaders as he praised Maguire for bouncing back from difficult times.
“He coped very well with his struggles,” he said. “There are moments in the career of a player that are different. And when you look at our team, we are starving for leaders on the pitch. He is a leader, he has to improve that part, he has to improve his game, so we are happy to continue with Harry.”.
