01 January 2023 , 09:50
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Rio Ferdinand has become the latest high-profile name to advise Harry Maguire over his Manchester United future after the beleaguered ace was once again left out by Erik ten Hag.
Maguire, 29, lost his first-team spot in the opening weeks of the campaign and has started just once in the Premier League since August.
The former Leicester man, who cost United £80million back in 2019, had been tipped to muscle his way back into Ten Hag's plans after starring for England at the World Cup. However, Maguire has started both of United's games since the restart on the bench after being laid low with a virus.
Left-back Luke Shaw has started - and impressed - in both of United's games this week as an emergency centre-back. And Ferdinand is convinced that Ten Hag has made it clear that Maguire will not be a regular going forward after he was omitted from the side that beat Wolves 1-0 - meaning Maguire simply has to move.
Speaking to BT Sport, he said: "If I'm Harry Maguire, I'm looking for a new club right now. This new manager [Ten Hag] is showing by his team selection that he is not going to be one of the two, three top centre-backs at this club."
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Ferdinand's comments are similar to those expressed by Jamie Carragher earlier this year. Speaking back in September after Maguire had been booed by England supporters, Carragher urged Maguire to quit Old Trafford, insisting that he 'needed' to ensure this was his last season at the club for the good of his career.
Writing in his Daily Telegraph column, Carragher said: "My question to Maguire is this: 'Do you still have that same fury in you?' Too often, it looks as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders, like he is a startled bunny more than the authoritative centre-back he was. I think it is too late at club level.
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Rio Ferdinand has urged Harry Maguire to quit Manchester United after he was left out of their win over Wolves (Getty Images)"I wrote last year he was fighting for his Manchester United career. He needs this to be his final season at Old Trafford and start afresh. Now it is England's problem.
"When I watched Maguire in the last two games, I felt sorry for him. But that is not a good look for any sports person. Sympathy will not get him back where he was two years ago."
With Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane already ahead of him in the pecking order, recent reports have circulated claiming that United are keen on signing Napoli's Kim Min-Jae, who starred for South Korea at the World Cup.
It would be hard to see a way back for Maguire if United do choose to pursue a deal for the 26-year-old - especially as he appeared to back to his best during the World Cup for England.