Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has insisted that he will "keep fighting" to regain his starting role in the middle of the team's defence.
The 29-year-old kept hold of the armband over the summer despite his struggles during the 2021-22 season, and he also started the campaign in the first XI.
However, disappointing performances against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford saw the England international lose his starting position at the club.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are now the club's first-choice centre-backs, while Victor Lindelof is also seemingly ahead of Maguire in the pecking order.
Luke Shaw has also been used as a centre-back in recent weeks, with the full-back impressing in that area of the field.
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Maguire played the full 90 minutes against Bournemouth in the Premier League on January 3, while he also started and finished Tuesday's 3-0 success over Charlton Athletic in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.
However, the Englishman is expected to be back on the bench against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Maguire said that "it felt good" to feature against Charlton, as he bids to return to full fitness, having suffered with an illness after the World Cup.
The club captain has also vowed to fight for his starting role amid claims that he could depart this year.
Maguire has recently been linked with a move to Aston Villa, but there was no truth in claims that he was on the verge of joining Unai Emery's side.
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"It felt good, I played last week as well against Bournemouth. I was unfortunate in terms of when I come back from the World Cup, I had a bad illness, to be honest, and it knocked me back for one or two weeks," Maguire told ESPN.
"I feel good now. We have a lot of good centre halves at this club, there's a lot of competition for places and I'll keep fighting."
Man United have now won their last eight matches in all competitions, and they are fighting on four fronts at this stage of the season, with Maguire detailing the importance of challenging for trophies.
"Yeah, it's really important [winning a trophy], this club demands doing well in all competitions. Last season, not only were we really poor in the Premier League, we were poor in the cup competitions as well. We didn't give ourselves a chance to win a trophy and this is what this club is about," said the defender.
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"We've got to make sure to take each competition seriously. We have done and hopefully, it can continue like that. It's far too long for this club. The fans demand more, we demand more and hopefully it can change."
Despite his struggles at club level this season, Maguire was a key player for England at the 2022 World Cup, starting all five matches against Iran, the USA, Wales, Senegal and France.
The former Sheffield United youngster has now made 158 appearances for Man United in all competitions, scoring seven goals and contributing five assists in the process.
Maguire's current deal at Old Trafford is due to run until June 2025, with the option of a further 12 months, but there remains widespread speculation surrounding a possible summer exit.
Matt Law
