Man Utd outcast urged to ‘think of himself’ and hand in transfer request, with crucial career aim ‘on the line’

A Manchester United flop has been told he must be selfish and leave Old Trafford in order to play regularly, with his place in the England team for the 2024 Euros ‘on the line’.

Man Utd have ramped up their trimming of the senior squad in recent weeks. After letting the likes of Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe leave on free transfers, they decided to stop contract talks with long-serving goalkeeper David de Gea. This has allowed the Spaniard to depart on a free and he is now considering his options.

On Monday, Man Utd got rid of left-back Alex Telles by selling him to Al Nassr, in a move which will see the defender reunite with Cristiano Ronaldo. Man Utd have reportedly received around £6m for Telles.

Winger Anthony Elanga has followed Telles out of Manchester. He has signed for fellow Premier League club Nottingham Forest in a £15m deal.

And now, former striker Clinton Morrison has explained why centre-back Harry Maguire must do the same.

Man Utd chiefs have previously tried to sell Maguire amid interest from Tottenham, Aston Villa and West Ham. But he has refused to leave, even though Ten Hag has stripped him of the captaincy.

READ MORE: Agreed Man Utd deal sees West Ham swoop for ‘great player’ who’ll be forced out

Last week, Ten Hag tried to end the rumours surrounding the Englishman by labelling him ‘very important’ for Man Utd. But during an appearance on Sky Sports News, Morrison explained how Maguire must force through a departure to ensure he is part of the squad which heads to Euro 2024.

“Harry Maguire needs to leave Manchester United for his own sake. No one likes to leave a club like that as they’re one of the biggest in the world, but Maguire has to think of himself,” the pundit said (via Sky Sports’ live transfer centre, 25/07 at 19:43).

Harry Maguire urged to find new team

“You’d walk up the motorway to sign for that club and they’re still huge given their fanbase. But the problem with Maguire is that his England career is on the line.

“He’ll always get picked by Gareth Southgate but he may not be a regular if he’s not playing club football. I don’t see him playing at United as he’s now their fourth-choice centre-back.

“I know you get injuries and Erik ten Hag has said he wants to keep Maguire, but it’s best for the player if he moves on and he still has a lot to offer to many other Premier League clubs.”

As Morrison states, Maguire will still probably make it into Southgate’s squad even if he is warming the bench at Man Utd. This is because the manager trusts him and has worked with him extensively over the course of his career.

But it will be very hard to justify starting the former Leicester City and Sheffield United man if he is not actually playing at club level. It would not be a surprise if someone like Marc Guehi, Ben White or Fikayo Tomori stepped in to replace him in the starting spot alongside John Stones.

Meanwhile, Man Utd and Arsenal have been given a boost in their pursuit of Kylian Mbappe, with his main suitors stalling amid a world-record bid.