Harry Maguire whiffs on chance to silence talk of a Man United move

It was a transfer rumour most of us saw coming

Harry Maguire has a storming World Cup; Manchester United want a new central defender. It writes itself, doesn't it? Sure enough, before England had even boarded a plane home from Russia, the speculation started. United, it was claimed, were readying a bid for the Leicester defender. And for the last couple of weeks, the Maguire-to-Old-Trafford rumour has been bubbling away nicely without any official word from anyone... until now. Presented with an opportunity to knock such talk of a move away from the King Power squarely on the head, Maguire gave a vague response when asked about his future. "Every player wants to play at the highest level," he told The Sun.  "I've just come back from playing at a World Cup, where I really enjoyed the high pressure of the games. It was something that I really thrived off." Although adding that he's enjoyed his time so far with Leicester, he appeared to make clear that a move elsewhere might be necessary to match his ambitions. "Leicester have been unbelievable to me and I'm really happy there but I'm also an ambitious player and everyone wants to play at the top." Hmm. Make of that what you will. There's long been a sense that Mourinho has been unhappy with United's backline (and life in general, for that matter), a move for Maguire would make sense. United have already been linked with a move for Tottenham's Toby Alderweireld this summer, with reports prior to the World Cup suggesting talks between the two clubs had broken down after it emerged they were £20m apart in their valuation. Some speculation has suggested United might also look at Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng, who is thought to be open to leaving the German champions ahead of the new season.