Academy of Football graduate Glen Johnson has said Harry Maguire didn’t move to West Ham due to a lack of confidence.

West Ham were said to be fairly close to an agreement with Manchester United for around £30 million, however, a combination of United moving goal posts and a lack of encouragement from Maguire led to the East London side pulling out of the deal.

The former Red Devils captain believes that, if he is to leave Manchester, it would need to be for a more elite club than the Hammers. David Moyes had even promised him captaincy in his side but the player still wasn’t moved by this.

Former West Ham player Glen Johnson has given his opinion on why Maguire didn’t make the move. “If he was confident enough that he would be a success at West Ham,” he told Betfred, “then I believe they would have got the deal done.”

“I think he’s worried that he could still play rubbish at West Ham,” Johnson continued. “And then the whole situation is even more embarrassing.”

“I just believe he isn’t as confident enough as he should be taking that move,” he concluded.

While the general consensus amongst West Ham fans was that he just lacked confidence, it certainly was a possibility that even with a fresh start he wouldn’t have hit the heights he did for Leicester.

Luckily, it doesn’t really matter the reason for the move collapsing as West Ham have signed a younger, faster and more confident player in Mavropanos. The board had told United that if the Maguire deal wasn’t concluded shortly, then they would move on to other targets and, for once, they did exactly that.

Glen certainly could be right and the centre back could have been scared of failing once again, or it could be the opposite, with Maguire thinking he’s good enough to play for one of the elite clubs. Either way, the Irons have their new defender so it’s great that they have moved on to other positions. It’s set to be an enthralling end to the transfer window, can the club bring in the right players to help the team progress and build upon the strong foundations the team has?

By Charlie Bass