Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has dismissed suggestions that he almost signed for West Ham United in the summer transfer window.
Ever since dropping down the pecking order shortly after the start of Erik ten Hag's reign at Old Trafford, Maguire has been frequently linked with a move elsewhere.
A loan switch failed to materialise in January, before it was expected that the England international would be allowed to depart Old Trafford ahead of 2023-24.
At one point, it appeared likely that the 30-year-old would link up with West Ham, with manager David Moyes acknowledging at one point that the two clubs were in discussions.
However, the relevant parties failed to agree terms over a potential transfer, while Maguire was happy to fight for his place under Ten Hag.
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Speaking at a press conference, the centre-back has insisted that he never came close to making the switch to the London Stadium when speculation emerged about a possible deal.
Maguire told reporters: "Regular game time is really important to me, it has been throughout my career. The actual opportunity to go to West Ham wasn't agreed really between both clubs and myself. So it wasn't just my chance to say 'Yes and I'm going'.
"It wasn't agreed between both clubs so the actual opportunity wasn't there because we didn't get far enough down the line with it.
"But West Ham is a massive club. But like I said my full focus is still on Manchester United, I want to fight for my place but of course regular game time is really important to me."
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Maguire has since been restricted to just two starts for United, with an appearance in the EFL Cup against Crystal Palace being followed by an outing versus Brentford at the weekend.
In total, he has accumulated 216 minutes of football with the Red Devils during 2023-24, but Maguire has remained as an ever-present for England during their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Maguire has completed 90 minutes on three occasions for club and country since the start of September, and he will expect to feature when the Three Lions square off against Australia and Italy over the next week.
United remain in a strong position regarding his future, with Maguire having a contract until 2025 that can be extended by a further 12 months.
Darren Plant
