Harry Maguire will head to the World Cup as part of Gareth Southgate's England squad in a few days' time with his Manchester United future very much up in the air.
The 29-year-old centre-back will board the plane to Qatar despite only having made four Premier League appearances for the Red Devils this season.
Reports emerged on Friday evening, per The Guardian, that United boss Erik ten Hag is ready to accept a substantial loss on the £85 million former Leicester City man in order to get him out of the door at Old Trafford.
Maguire might essentially be the fourth-choice centre-back at United when everybody is fit (behind Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof), but he's still expected to start for the Three Lions when they kick off their World Cup campaign against Iran on November 21.
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The last year has seen a dramatic fall from grace for Maguire, who a little over a year ago was named in the Team of the Tournament following his performances for England at Euro 2020.
Since that time, a study has found that - aside from teammate Cristiano Ronaldo - Maguire was the most abused player on social media as his Manchester United side struggled for form.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 07: Harry Maguire of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on August 07, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Sitting down to discuss his career in a recent one-on-one interview with The Times, Maguire admitted that he tries his best to ignore online critiques, whether they be good or bad.
"If you lose games, individuals get portrayed as being in bad form. And for sure, individuals might not be performing as well as they can do, but the more you get spoken about, the more people talk about you.
Harry Maguire on dealing with criticism
"Even reaching the finals of the Euros and getting into the Team of the Tournament, I still didn’t really switch on to what was being said about me.
“I try my best to ignore what goes off on the outside world," he insisted.
When you've received as much negative press as Maguire has in recent months, though, that's likely easier said than done.
Maguire: "People see us as robots"
"I think people see footballers as robots who don’t have emotions, but of course we have emotions. We’re disappointed and we’re hurt when we don’t play well.
"I don’t really like feeling sorry for myself,” but it’s difficult not to dwell sometimes. “You think about past games. ‘If only…’ There’s a lot of ‘If only…’ in what you feel as a footballer. ‘If only you’d got on the end of one in the Euros final you’d be a European champion.’"
Ahead of the showpiece tournament in Qatar, Maguire conceded that he sometimes allows himself to dream of what it would feel like if England were to go all the way at the World Cup.
"I always have thoughts like that," he revealed. "I think about scoring the winner in the World Cup final!"
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 11: Jordan Pickford and Harry Maguire of England look dejected following defeat in the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium on July 11, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
What is clear, however, is that the ghosts of tournaments past still haunt Maguire.
"We finished in the semi-finals [at the 2018 World Cup] and then the final [at Euro 2020]. The next step is to win it,” says Maguire, before adding that they are just one of "seven or eight countries who’ll really fancy their chances to be successful at the tournament".
Maguire: England "could have been more brave" at previous tournaments
Maguire shared his regret over the 2018 semi-final defeat to Croatia, claiming England "thought too much about not losing the game, rather than trying to win it.".
The same, he said, goes for the Euro 2020 final loss to Italy, where he argued that the Three Lions could have "been a little more brave".
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JULY 11: Harry Maguire of England reacts during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Semi Final match between England and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium on July 11, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Regardless of how England fare in Qatar or how his Man United career pans out, though, Maguire insists that his future is bright.
"My goal is just to keep improving, keep working as hard as possible and keep giving my best. I’m 29. I feel like I’m in a good position physically, mentally.
"I think I’ve been through a lot of challenges. But throughout your career – you’re looking at a 15-year period – there are going to be so many ups and so many downs. I’m sure there are going to be many times when I’m in great form and there are also going to be many times when it’s challenging again."
It remains to be seen whether a strong performance at the World Cup will help reignite Maguire's Old Trafford career or simply put him in the shop window for a big move.