Erik ten Hag has hinted that Harry Maguire may leave Manchester United this summer if the defender decides he is not happy with a lack of playing time.
The club captain played only 16 Premier League games this season and has been culpable of a number of high-profile errors, most recently in last month’s Europa League exit to Sevilla.
Ten Hag has consistently praised the influence of the 30-year-old – who joined in 2018 from Leicester for £80million, a world-record fee for a defender, and is under contract until 2025 – around Old Trafford, even when he has endured long spells out of the team.
When fit, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane have been the preferred central-defensive partnership in the former Ajax boss’s first campaign, with Luke Shaw sometimes filling in, as the team racked up 17 top-flight clean sheets – the most of any side in the division.
Now the manager has made the strongest suggestion yet that Maguire’s time at United could be coming to an end.
“No-one would be happy with this situation,” Ten Hag said in an interview with The Times. “He is not as well. He trains always on best levels, so with 100 per cent effort.
“So he handles that situation well and he’s in that manner and in his captaincy he’s important for the squad.
“But he has high competition there (at centre-back) with Raphael Varane, who’s fantastic.”
He added: “Let’s say I’m happy he’s here and when we needed him he did his job. But it’s also a decision he has to make.”
Ten Hag also said that David De Gea, who himself has made costly mistakes including in Seville and in the recent defeat to West Ham, will remain at the club, though may not be guaranteed a place in the team.
The team finished with the third best defensive record in the Premier League with 43 goals conceded, bettered only by Newcastle and champions Manchester City. De Gea was ever-present and collected the Golden Glove for the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets.
Asked if the 32-year-old would still be at United next season, Ten Hag replied: “Yes, but I will not say he will always be my number one because in a club like United there must be competition in all positions.”
United face City at Wembley on Saturday in the first all-Manchester FA Cup final, looking to foil their city rivals’ bid the match the Treble won by Sir Alex Ferguson’s team in 1999.
Pep Guardiola jokes he could play for much-changed Man City in Newcastle cup tie
Pep Guardiola has joked he may come out of retirement for Manchester City’s Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle.
The treble winners are three games into a run of seven matches in three weeks and manager Guardiola intends to make changes for Wednesday’s third-round tie at St James’ Park.
However, with injuries affecting the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva, the options for rotation among his main first-team squad are actually limited.
That has prompted the former Barcelona midfielder to jest that at 52, 17 years after calling time on a distinguished playing career – and notwithstanding his recent back surgery – he could lace up his boots once again.
He said: “Some players who’ve had a lot of minutes are not going to play against Newcastle.
“The Carabao Cup is great for all the guys who don’t play regularly. They can play some minutes and that’s perfect.
“But for the other players I’m not going to waste one per cent of energy for Carabao Cup. The likes of Kyle (Walker), Ruben (Dias) – playing 90 minutes for us, 90 for the national team, they are exhausted already.
“That’s why we are going to play with the guys who need it, the Academy, maybe me. My back is getting better so I might manage a few minutes!”
One decision taken out of Guardiola’s hands is the availability of Rodri after his sending off against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The Spain midfielder picked up an automatic three-game ban for violent conduct for raising his hands to the neck of Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White in City’s 2-0 Premier League win at the Etihad Stadium.
It is unlikely Rodri would have been involved at Newcastle but his absence against Wolves next weekend, and particularly Arsenal on October 8, could prove costly.
Guardiola was rather more serious when expressing his anger over the conduct of his key holding midfielder on Saturday.
It seems unlikely the club will appeal against his suspension.
Guardiola said: “I have to talk with the club but I’m not going to change it. For me it’s not three games, but the rules are the rules. Part of that, he has to learn, and hopefully it won’t happen again.”
Rodri’s absence could offer a chance for England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who has found opportunities limited since his arrival from Leeds in the summer of 2022.
He played the final 39 minutes against Forest as City reshaped with 10 men.
Guardiola said: “He played really well, the type of game that we needed. I’m so pleased for him because he’s an incredible guy.
“He’s not fazed about his minutes and he’s a national player with England. With us he hasn’t played much but he’s really helped us.”
Erik ten Hag’s got a good thing going at Manchester United – Jonny Evans
Jonny Evans is convinced Manchester United have a “good thing going” under Erik ten Hag despite their shaky start to the season.
Things have gone awry after a promising first campaign under the Dutchman, with the Red Devils losing four of their first six matches in all competitions for the first time since 1986.
There were some mitigating factors in that poor run but that did not stop the pressure mounting on the Old Trafford giants heading into Saturday evening’s Premier League trip to Burnley.
Ten Hag’s troops were far from their best but Bruno Fernandes’ brilliant volley secured a 1-0 win for a side that begin their Carabao Cup defence at home to Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
Evans watched February’s Wembley triumph from the stands and is now back at the club he came through at as a boy, with the experienced defender confident about United’s future.
“I’ve had some up and down moments at Man United over the years,” said the defender, who won three Premier League titles and a Champions League during his previous spell at the club.
“I think you get that if you want to be at the top. You know, it’s going to be very up and down.
“You’ve got to be able to deal with setbacks and this club is a fantastic club, always want to be challenging at the top, so it’s all part and parcel of it.
“The manager’s got a good thing going here.
“I’m a fan of the club so I was able to watch them a lot last year, been at both finals to support. Like I say, I think the manager’s got a good thing going.”
Evans made his second appearance of the season and first United start in eight-and-a-half years on Saturday evening.
The 35-year-old impressed against Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, scoring a goal that was disallowed before providing an exceptional pass for Fernandes’ volleyed winner.
“That was great,” the beaming Northern Irishman said after his 200th United appearance. “I was really looking forward to it all day.
“I got the shout yesterday in training that I was going to be starting, so I couldn’t wait for the game, really.
“I was more nervous in the pre-season, my first pre-season game, to be honest, playing up in Edinburgh.
“I didn’t feel any nerves tonight. I actually felt a lot of excitement going into the game. I couldn’t wait for it and I felt good, I felt ready.”
Evans produced an impressive all-round display at Turf Moor, leading captain Fernandes to pass on the man of the match award that he had been handed.
The centre-back joked it was just the third of a career he never expected to return to such heights having left Leicester on the back of relegation and an injury-hit campaign.
Asked if he ever thought he would get back to this level, Evans immediately responded: “No, definitely not.
“It’s not a case of winding down. I think people’s career trajectories kind of end up that way and it’s very difficult for a club when you’re 35 years old to take a chance on you.
“I had a lot of injury problems last year as well, so for the club to do that and see the value in me, I’m very grateful to be given the opportunity.
“On one side it feels really surreal and then on the other side it just feels completely normal.
“It’s quite difficult to get my head around sometimes, but I’m loving it.
“For a 35-year-old I suppose to come back in – they wanted me to come back in and provide cover – not many people get to do that.
“I know it’s going be a big challenge but hopefully it’s one that I can take on.
“I feel like it’s one that was perfect for me at this stage of my career.”
Scottish Premiership round-up: Celtic and Rangers win in contrasting styles
Celtic and Rangers emerged with contrasting emotions despite both recording wins in week six of the cinch Premiership.
There were also wins for St Mirren, Hibernian and Aberdeen while Dundee and Kilmarnock shared the spoils at Dens Park.
Here are five things we learned from the weekend’s action.
Celtic get ‘monumental’ winBrendan Rodgers called Celtic’s 3-0 victory at Livingston “monumental” after the champions built on their one-goal lead despite having Joe Hart sent off.
Celtic again showed a good response to adversity four days after picking up two red cards in a 2-0 defeat by Feyenoord.
Rodgers said: “Livingston is a notoriously hard place to come anyway, never mind with 10 men, so to play with that mentality was very good.”
Dons kick-start their seasonAberdeen had been experiencing their worst start to a campaign for almost a quarter of a century but they picked up their first win of the campaign at the sixth time of asking, and did so in emphatic fashion.
A 4-0 win over Ross County set the Dons up for a Viaplay Cup quarter-final in Dingwall on Wednesday.
The Saints go marching onSt Mirren are still only two points off the top after beating Hearts 1-0 in Paisley.
And it could have been more after they had three goals disallowed, two of them in controversial fashion.
Manager Stephen Robinson said: “I’ll let the fans enjoy it, let them dream and I’ll keep within the realism.”
Montgomery shows his intentNew Hibernian head coach Nick Montgomery made history in his first match at Easter Road by making Rory Whittaker the club’s youngest player at only 16 years and 44 days.
Whittaker was a ball boy for Hibs earlier in the season but he came off the bench in a 2-0 win over St Johnstone that continued Montgomery’s unbeaten start to life in Scotland since his move from Central Coast Mariners.
Rangers take a step backThat was the analysis of manager Michael Beale despite a third win and clean sheet in eight days.
Beale was unimpressed by his side’s performance in a 1-0 win over Motherwell, days after being left delighted by the same scoreline against Real Betis.
The goal came courtesy of a deflection off Cyriel Dessers and Motherwell had a number of chances to maintain their seven-month unbeaten Premiership run on the road.
Beale admitted: “We got away with one.”
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