Dwight Yorke fears Harry Maguire could hold back development of Man Utd star

Ruben Amorim has been told to sell Harry Maguire for fear he could ‘hold back the development’ of another Manchester United star.

That is the warning from United legend Dwight Yorke who says Maguire and Jonny Evans’ time at Old Trafford is up.

The Red Devils are in the midst of a painful rebuild under Amorim whose arrival has not produced the desired upturn in results and performances.

Though they have qualified for the Europa League last-16 and knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup, United have lost six of Amorim’s first 12 Premier League games in charge.

That form leaves them 12th in the table and they’ll drop another place if they lose at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

It is acknowledged that things won’t drastically improve until the squad is freshened up, not just with new signings like Patrick Dorgu but with underperforming players sold.

One of those likely to leave is Evans whose deal expires in the summer, but Maguire seems set to stay after the club recently triggered the one-year extension in his contact.

The England defender has come under much criticism over the years but has been one of United’s better players this season and one that Amorim seemingly has a lot of faith in.

However, Yorke believes the head coach should be moving on from the 31-year-old and putting his trust in a different centre-back.

‘Harry Maguire has done his time at Manchester United, he’s been a great player at the club and he’s won trophies in his time,’ Yorke told CoinCasino.

‘But now, it’s time to turn the page, Man United need to move on from Maguire, and even the likes of Jonny Evans, who I have a lot of respect for.

‘The club needs fresher legs, players like Leny Yoro need to be integrated into the team and Maguire can hold his development back.

‘Sir Alex Ferguson would have been ruthless in this position, he knew when certain players’ time was up and he would sell Maguire. Fans would understand if he left the club, he’s done his time.’

Yoro moved to Old Trafford from Lille last summer in a deal worth £52million, with the 19-year-old tipped to be a world-class defender in the future.

He’s shown flashes of that potential, though endured a game to forget during the recent 3-1 victory over Southampton where he was ‘getting absolutely smashed to smithereens’ by the opposition.

This article was first published on January 23, 2025.

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