Man Utd defender Harry Maguire told to ‘leave Old Trafford’ at the end of the season as next club identified

Harry Maguire has been urged to leave Old Trafford this summer by former Manchester United player Gordon Strachan and ex-Premier League striker Stan Collymore.

The former players are in agreement over the sometimes overly-harsh nature of criticism levelled at the centre-back, who has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag.

The England international joined the Red Devils for £80m in the summer of 2019, making him the world’s most expensive defender as he signed a six-year contract.

However, he has come in for plenty of criticism over the years, with both Strachan and Collymore feeling sometimes it goes over the top.

Speaking to Casinosite, Strachan, who played for the Red Devils between 1984 and 1989 before joining Leeds, feels Maguire needs to speak to Ten Hag about his future.

He said: “I think Harry has to have a conversation with Erik ten Hag and ask him ‘do you really want me?’ because he’s really taking some flak, albeit mostly on social media which is a horrible world to get involved in.

“For his own good he should want to go somewhere where the manager wants to play him as first choice. What he doesn’t want is to be this whipping boy when something goes wrong.

“He needs to decide what his future holds. I had a similar situation myself at the end of my time at Manchester United and ended up going to Leeds where I had a wonderful time. I think he deserves a break.”

Collymore feels Aston Villa would be a good fit for Maguire, as the ex-Liverpool and Villa striker addressed the defender’s future in his CaughtOffside column.

He wrote: "I think Harry Maguire, for his own sake, has to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season.

"He’s a quality centre-back who puts his body on the line, but he does have his limitations; it’s just a case of putting others around him to mask those areas of weakness, and personally, I think a team like Aston Villa are able to offer him that.

“I would love to see him at Villa Park – I’d drive him from Manchester to the Midlands myself if I could.

“A club like Aston Villa and Maguire would be a match made in heaven – they’re big enough to match his ambition, they’ve got an experienced manager who could definitely get the best out of him and competition for Tyrone Mings would only be a positive thing.”