Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has said that it is up to Harry Maguire to "fight for his position" in the starting team at Old Trafford.
The 29-year-old kept hold of the captain's armband last summer despite a disappointing 2021-22 campaign, and he started this season in Ten Hag's first XI.
However, the England international has dropped down the pecking order in recent months, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez becoming the first-choice centre-backs.
Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw have also been used ahead of Maguire in central defence this season, with suggestions that the club captain is now fifth choice in that area of the field.
Ten Hag has insisted that Maguire is not fifth in terms of his thinking for the starting roles, though, and the Dutchman has challenged the defender to force a return to the first XI.
"No he is not fifth choice but I have to say it is up to him. He is training very well, he brings quality and that is what I expect from all the players in the squad," Ten Hag told reporters.
"He has to fight for his position in the squad. Things can change and they can also do so sometimes really quickly. He is making progress and I think it is up to him.
"After the World Cup, he should have played but he got ill. There is nothing I can do about that. He knows that and then you come in [during a good] run, and he has to wait for his chance.
"They are the laws of top-level football and selection. Then you have to wait for your chance and in the meantime you have to work well to prove the chance is there."
Maguire has been restricted to 15 appearances for the Red Devils this season, with only eight of those coming in the Premier League, and he has only started four times in the league in 2022-23.
Aston Villa and West Ham United have been linked with the Englishman this month, but he will not be departing Old Trafford before the end of the January transfer window.
A recent report claimed that a summer exit could be on the cards, though, with the former Sheffield United youngster open to reigniting his career elsewhere.
Maguire moved to Old Trafford from Leicester City in 2019, and he has made 159 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring seven goals and registering five assists in the process.
The defender would have been in line to face Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final last Wednesday, but he was unavailable for the match through suspension.
Maguire is back for Saturday's FA Cup clash with Reading, though, and he will be hoping to be given the nod to feature in the competition for the second time this season. body check tags ::
