Harry Maguire insists he's 'focused on England' despite interest from Manchester United

Harry Maguire is a player that's really risen to prominence over the last couple of seasons since joining Leicester City in 2017. The centre-back cost the Foxes around £17m and they could be set to make a monster profit on the former Hull City if reports are correct.

It's rumoured that he's going to be a man in-demand once again this summer, with Manchester United in the market for a new centre-back and ready to make a move.

At the age of 26, Maguire is approaching the peak years of his career and he'd cost his suitors a colossal fee, with Leicester in no need to sell one of their prized assets. The Red Devils were credited with an interest in him ever since his string of impressive showings at last summers World Cup, where he played an instrumental role in England's run to the semi-finals, but they failed to get a move over the line under then boss Jose Mourinho.

But on the back of their shambolic 2018/19 campaign which saw them concede a club record number of Premier League goals (53), they're desperate for new recruits so the Foxes will certainly be able to charge a premium for his services should they come calling.

Speaking ahead of England's UEFA Nations League opener against the Netherlands next Wednesday, Maguire insisted that he only has eyes on matters surrounding the Three Lions at the moment.

"When I'm away with England, I don't think about anything to do with club football."

"As soon as I wear this badge, it's really important to focus on England and nothing else. I'm fully focused on the two games coming up and that's where my head is at the moment."

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Maguire for a while now and after proving himself both for Leicester City and England, it's easy to see why they're so interested in him.

The Red Devils have been far from convincing defensively over the last couple of seasons and they're in desperate need of leaders, two things that the signing of Maguire would go a long way to resolving.

He's grown into one of the most vocal and influential players in Leicester's squad over the last couple of seasons, along with becoming a mainstay in Gareth Southgate's successful England side. At the age of 26 he still has time to grow and improve but he also possesses the quality to walk straight into the Red Devils starting XI.

It's not been an easy ride for Maguire to work his way up to the highest level after learning his trade at boyhood club Sheffield United, followed by spells at Wigan and Hull City before moving onto Leicester. He gained a reputation for being an efficient, dominant defender mainly down to physicality but his climb through the divisions has added so much more to his game.

His aerial presence is a major weapon in his armoury but he also possesses excellent technical ability. Maguire has the capability to play out from the back, with his range of passing and vision making him something of a weapon from centre-half - that alone makes him a rather significant upgrade on Chris Smalling and Phil Jones.

Another trait of Maguire's is the way that he can drive forward from the back. The whole nation fell in love with the way that he was able to carry the ball and break the lines during last summers World Cup. In full flow he's a difficult man to stop and he's actually pretty quick when he gets going, combine that with his height and you have a daunting proposition on your hands.

When speaking to Sky Sports Maguire also gave his opinion Matthijs de Ligt, who he tips to have a "big, big future" in the game. The 19 year-old is also linked with a mega money move to Old Trafford, with reports surfacing last week that United had offered him a whopping €14m a year contract in a bid to prize him away from Barcelona.

The La Liga Champions have been expected to tie up a deal for the Ajax skipper for some time now but the longer it drags on, the more hope United fans have been given - but it still looks hugely unlikely that they'll pull it off. He would cost a ridiculous amount of money and this is believed to be a factor in the Red Devils cooling their interest in him over the last few days.

A move for Maguire is much more realistic and next Wednesday's Nations League semi-final clash with the Netherlands will give United officials and supporters the chance to see both of them in action on the same pitch. The Leicester defender is a big fan of de Ligt's and he was full of praise for him.

"He's been a 19-year-old captain at Ajax and managed to get through to the Champions League semi-finals. I'm sure he's going to have a big, big future."

Both of them are keen to focus on their exploits for their countries so news on the transfer front looks unlikely to happen anytime soon. But this is very much a case of watch this space. Both are going to be in massive demand...