Maguire Experience Valued By Manchester United As Carrick Weighs Keeping Him

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Manchester United are weighing up a major call on Harry Maguire’s future, with Michael Carrick stressing the value of the defender’s experience as the club chases a strong finish to the Premier League season and keeps momentum under the interim head coach.

Maguire is into the final months of the contract signed after joining from Leicester City in 2019, and Manchester United must decide whether to extend the deal of a player who has become one of the squad’s most regular starters over the past seven campaigns.

Since the beginning of the 2019-20 season, only Bruno Fernandes has played more games for Manchester United than Maguire, who sits second at the club for appearances, starts and minutes during that period, underlining how often different managers have relied on the centre-back.

Those numbers highlight Maguire’s durability for Manchester United in the Premier League and other competitions, with Carrick now leaning heavily on that experience after Maguire previously slipped down the pecking order under Ruben Amorim earlier in the current campaign.

This season, Maguire struggled for minutes under Amorim, but Carrick has restored the defender to the Manchester United Premier League line-up, starting all six league matches since returning as interim head coach, with the team avoiding defeat in that stretch with five wins and one draw.

As Maguire prepares to turn 33 next week, Carrick sees the defender as crucial to the balance of the Manchester United squad, especially after Casemiro’s departure, and suggested the club would struggle to replace that combination of age, experience and familiarity with pressure at Old Trafford.

"Within the squad, there is that balance, you want that younger potential and excitement that comes with helping develop players, but you need the sweet spot in the middle with players at the peak, and experience is massive," Carrick said. "It’s hard to put a price on how valuable that can be. Harry has gained an awful lot of experience with this club. Cas leaving is another one, and we have to understand that."

"Harry is an impressive character. He’s had a great career so far and hopefully, there is a lot more to come. He’s been here on the journey and his experiences show what he is. We know the player he is and what he is capable of doing. He was fantastic the other night, his experience, attributes and character helped. He’s willing to put himself out there. He’s been really important for us."

Manchester United now turn focus to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Sunday, looking to extend their unbeaten Premier League run under Carrick after a narrow 1-0 victory over Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday, when a substitute made the decisive contribution.

Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to score the winner against Everton and now has five goals in six league appearances since Amorim left last month, giving Manchester United another form option in attack as fixtures tighten late in the Premier League season.

Heading into matchday 28, no player in the Premier League has scored more non-penalty goals in 2026 than Sesko’s tally of five, raising questions over whether Carrick will promote the Slovenian to the Manchester United starting XI for the Crystal Palace clash.

"The whole thing is a real positive. It’s certainly not a decision that I look at in a negative way. We’re playing well as a team, we’re not getting carried away and just thinking that will necessarily carry on. The forwards have scored a good number of goals; Ben has been so good in so many ways. It’s really not a drama. It just shows the quality Ben has got. If he starts the next game or the one after, it is what it is, but he’s doing so many good things."

Carrick’s comments underline Manchester United’s current approach in the Premier League, where competition for places, Maguire’s experience and Sesko’s sharp form are all seen as central to their push for consistent results while key contract and selection calls await in the coming weeks.