‘You have to go NOW!’: Rio Ferdinand tells Harry Maguire to push for quick Man United exit

Rio Ferdinand has urged Manchester United captain Harry Maguire to leave the club immediately as he accused manager Erik ten Hag of treating the England centre-back “disrespectfully”.

Ferdinand – recognized as one of United’s legendary defenders, making 455 appearances for the Premier League giants and winning every major club honor during his 12-year tenure at Old Trafford – admitted last month he would be looking for a new club if he was Maguire.

The 44-year-old has now urged Maguire to seek a move from the club during the January transfer window, highlighting Luke Shaw’s selection as a centre-back over the Three Lions star as a legitimate reason for him to request a move.

Harry Maguire has been urged to leave Manchester United by former defender Rio Ferdinand

Maguire (left) has played a small role since returning from the World Cup with England

Ferdinand outlined the measures Maguire should take to leave the club in January

Speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: “Luke Shaw is playing centre-back in his place.

“It’s like coming back after the World Cup, playing well, everyone says he did really well and Patrice Evra is playing centre-back.

“I would like to strangle Patrice! I would have flattened Patrice in practice to make sure he wasn’t available and I would have gone to the manager and said, “Are you making fun of me, boss?” I would have walked straight into the manager’s office and said, “You don’t respect me.”

United full-back Luke Shaw (right) has been favored over Maguire (left) in recent games

Shaw (red) has impressed as a central defender at Old Trafford Club in recent years

“Harry Maguire needs to move. I think he stays for the games and they can’t bring anyone in anymore. He plays in the cup games.

The 29-year-old put the club’s troubles behind as he produced a string of impressive performances during England’s 2022 World Cup season, which saw Gareth Southgate’s side eliminated in the quarter-finals.

His return to Manchester after the World Cup was to mark the revival of his career after a turbulent start to the season that saw Ten Hag favourites, Raphael Varane and Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez.

Maguire has made just seven Premier League appearances for Man United so far this season

However, impressive performances in the Middle East don’t seem to have done enough to change Ten Hag’s mindset as the Red Devils play left-back Shaw in central defense while Maguire stays on the bench instead.

After arriving at the Theater of Dreams in 2019 on a six-year, £80million deal, Maguire was handed the post of club captain.

But just over three years into his contract, Maguire’s time at the club looks set to come to a premature end.

Rumors surfaced on Twitter on Sunday that Maguire was close to joining Aston Villa, but these were quickly dismissed.

The defender was pictured at a restaurant near Unai Emery’s side’s Bodymoor Heath training ground on Saturday, sparking rumors the England star could be on his way out of Old Trafford.