The China Mail - Maguire feels it will be 'silly' to leave Man Utd now

The 32-year-old centre-back arrived at Old Trafford from Leicester in an £80 million ($108 million) deal in 2019, signing a six-year contract with an option for a further season.

United triggered that clause at the turn of the year and have since made clear they want to hold onto the England international this season, with Maguire yet to speak to the club about his future beyond this campaign.

"Last year was the clause in their hands so there was no option for me there," Maguire said Thursday. "There was no talking. It was just they activated it and it got extended.

"This year, obviously I'm up at the end of the year. I'm pretty sure the club have made it aware this summer that I can't leave the club on any terms with other clubs enquiring about my things and my position with my contract."

Maguire added: "I'm sure over the next few months they'll sit down, and we'll have to have a conversation about where we want to go and if they want to extend or obviously the transfer window will open again in January.

"Obviously I have something in my mind about what I want to do and what I want to be.

"I don't want to put it out there to everybody but it's an amazing club to play for and you'd be silly if you wanted to jump out of it as soon as you could."

- 'In a good place' -

United finished a lowly 15th in the Premier League last season after Amorim replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag, but Maguire believes the club are on the rise.

"We're in a good place, positive as a club and I feel like the hierarchy has come in and Jason (Wilcox, director of football) and the manager, I feel like they're taking it in the right direction," Maguire said.

"I think it's, since I started six years ago to where it is now, in a completely different place in terms of the structure behind the management staff."

Maguire says United are in "a lot better" place, with recent improvements clear in the performance, albeit not the result, against Arsenal in Sunday's Premier League opener.

Riccardo Calafiori's early header eventually condemned United to a 1-0 defeat, but new signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo impressed in an attack that saw fellow recent arrival Benjamin Sesko join in the second half.

"I think last year we just weren't as big a threat going forward as we should have been for this club," Maguire said at Manchester United Foundation's multi-sports holiday camp at Stretford Sports Village.

"This club demands players who create chances, score goals and that's what it's done throughout its history.

"So, I think Bryan and Matheus coming in, Sesko coming off the bench, these are players who have proven that they're going to score goals and create chances."

C.Smith--ThChM