It's fair to say that no one has had as complex a relationship with Manchester United in recent years as Harry Maguire. The defender was signed in 2018 for £80m, breaking the record transfer for an Englishmen and for a defender.
In his earlier years at Old Trafford, he was plagued with inconsistency, making several high-profile errors that led to him being both the laughing stock of the team, and also their number scapegoat. He was even firmly linked with a move away from Old Trafford.
In recent years, Harry Maguire's reputation at the club has massively changed. He has been a consummate professional behind the scenes, a huge part of United's leadership team even after he was stripped of the captaincy, and has played an important role in the United squad.
Will Harry Maguire sign a new deal at Manchester United?
United and Maguire are now at a crossraods. His current deal, which pays Harry Maguire a tidy £180,000 a week, is set to expire at the end of the season. Despite Maguire's resurgence in the squad, re-signing him to deal of that size is hardly great business, especially Maguire will turn 33 next month.
But on the other hand, letting Maguire walk for nothing would also be poor business. The fact that he was purchased for such a large sum is obviously part of that consideration, but after almost 8 years with the club, that factor should be relatively negligible. That transfer cannot be considered a total failure anymore, considering what he has brought to the team in his time at Old Trafford.
Maguire's leadership and experience also make him a vital asset. With young defenders in the side like Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro, having an experienced head, especially one who's equipped to fight the mental battle of being a defender for Manchester United, could prove incredibly valuable.
This is also ignoring the fact that Maguire is still featuring regularly for the team. His run in Michael Carrick's new side can be partly attributed to the long-term absence of Matthijs de Ligt, but when available, Maguire still plays regularly, either starting or coming off the bench.
Tactically, letting Maguire walk for nothing could also be a massive oversight, specifically for his ability at set-pieces. The Premier League has become increasingly reliant on set-pieces and long throws, and United are hardly immune to that: in fact, they currently top the table for most goals from set pieces.
With United already losing Casemiro, their number one threat from set pieces, at the end of the season, losing Maguire as well would massively reduce United's threat in the air, and that'a sacrifice United cannot make right now.
Maguire's future is up in the air right now. There are rumours that a deal is potentially close, but United fans should be praying that this isn't Maguire's final season with the Red Devils.