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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
Harry Maguire has said he hasn’t given up hope of extending his stay at Manchester United after “positive” conversations about a new contract.
Maguire’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the season, although United have an option to extend his contract by a year until 2026.
The England defender was close to leaving Old Trafford for West Ham in 2023 before the move collapsed. He has slipped down the pecking order at United after the summer arrivals of Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro.
But after an impressive performance in the 2-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday, the 31-year-old is still hoping to stay.
“I haven’t really thought about [his long-term future],” Maguire said. “I’ve still got this year to go with an option in their hands. But, yeah, all the signs are positive at the moment and the chat that I’m having is really positive.”
Asked if talks about a new long-term contract were ongoing, Maguire said: “Yeah.”
Maguire was a surprise inclusion in Ruben Amorim’s team at the Etihad Stadium. But the former Leicester City man kept Erling Haaland quiet before United scored two late goals to seal a dramatic derby win.
“It’s been a difficult start to the season for us and not much for our fans to cheer about, so it’s for them,” Maguire added. “I thought the game was a 50-50 game, to be honest. Could have gone either way. It’s an improvement but still a long way to go.”
Victory at the Etihad was a statement result for Amorim, who has overseen a mixed bag of performances since taking over from Erik ten Hag.
The Portuguese head coach has been clear that his team is a work in progress with very little time to train between games. He’s only been at United for a short time but Maguire has already been impressed with the 39-year-old former Sporting CP coach.
“I think you can see we have a good structure, a good style of play, the way that he wants us to work,” he said.
“He’s tactically very good. He’s proven that he’s a winner.
“And, look, we’re still pretty new. I think he’s been here for a month now or so, and we’re really looking forward to where we can go and where we can take this club, and I’m sure he’ll take it in a positive way.”