Since Michael Carrick took over as Manchester United boss a little over a month ago, it would be hard to pinpoint the best success story, owing to just how fruitful the last five weeks or so have been. 

Watching games have gone from being a chore to the highlight of the week, and many fans have struggled to cope with the break since the outing against West Ham United nearly two whole weeks ago. 

One of the biggest successes under Carrick has been Harry Maguire, who has been near faultless since he came back into the side, forming an excellent partnership with Lisandro Martinez at the heart of the United backline. 

It will be very interesting to see what happens when Matthijs de Ligt returns from injury. Will he replace Maguire in the starting XI? Will he replace Martinez? It feels unlikely that Carrick would revert to the three at the back we saw used consistently under Ruben Amorim during his 14 months at the club.

Some had suggested that, from next season, the first-choice central defensive duo would be Martinez and de Ligt, with some assuming that Maguire would leave the club at the end of his contract this summer. 

Well, it appears that may no longer be happening. Indeed not, as Simon Stone is reporting that the 32-year old is now more likely to stay at Old Trafford beyond this summer. 

It should be noted that in his report, Stone mentions that a compromise is likely to be needed. At the moment, Maguire is one of United's highest-paid players, and Jim Ratcliffe is determined to "drive costs down." 

Furthermore, contract length was mentioned regarding a compromise. Before the season ends, United's number five will have turned 33. So how long a contract can the club give him? 

You'd imagine the defender will want the security of a two-year deal, but you'd have thought the club would be more likely only to want to hand out a further 12 months. It could be a base one-year contract with performance-based incentives to extend it for a further year. A 1+1 deal, if you will. 

Either way, let's hope that Maguire extends. It has been a long journey since he came to Old Trafford as a 26-year old back in 2019, but overall he has been a good performer at United, and you can't help but admire his mentality to come back from all the setbacks he has suffered. 

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