Maguire insists 'he won't be forced out of Man Utd by cowardly fan'

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire was defiant as he reportedly insisted he will not be forced out of the club despite a bomb scare at his Cheshire home following a threatening email. 

Maguire, 29, lives with his fiancee Fern Hawkins and two young children in Wilmslow, Cheshire and a spokesman for him said on Thursday: 'In the last 24 hours, Harry has received a serious threat to his family home.

'The safety of his family and those around him is obviously Harry's number one priority. He will continue to prepare for this weekend's fixture as normal.'

Sniffer dogs conducted a search of the property, with Cheshire police saying: 'No evacuations took place, but as a precautionary measure a police explosives dog attended the address this afternoon to conduct a search of the gardens and surrounding area. No suspicious items were found.' 

Maguire has come in for repeated criticism from fans this season, and the threat was revealed a day after United suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday.

Yet a source told The Sun on Thursday evening that Maguire believed the threat was the work of 'some cowardly fan.' The source said: 'Harry will not be forced out of Manchester United by this kind of threat.

'His number one priority will always be the safety of his family but he's also got the strength of character to deal with this. It looks like the work of some cowardly fan.

'If that proves to be the case, they are an utter disgrace to the name of this proud football club.'

Concerns had been raised for the safety of the player and his family and they are said to be extremely shaken by the threat. 

Ralf Rangnick's side are set to play Arsenal in the Premier League at the Emirates at 12:30pm on Saturday and