Leicester City manager Claude Puel is “confident” that Harry Maguire will not leave the club this summer, despite strong interest from Manchester United in the England defender.

Maguire impressed in his first season at Leicester, starting all 38 league matches for the Foxesas the club finished ninth in the league. His performances earned him acall-up for England’s World Cup squad. The 25-year-old put in a strong show in England’s run to thesemi-finals in Russia, featuring in all seven games and scoring in the quarter-final against Sweden.

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United manager José Mourinho has been unhappy with how the club’s transfer business has progressed over the summer, and has identified Maguire as a potential target to bolster his defence. However, Puel believes Maguire will stay at the King Power Stadium.

“I am confident about the presence of Harry for this season. He is a very good player for us,” Puel told Sky Sports News. “I was not surprised about his performance during this World Cup. We saw his progress during the second half of the season.

“It was not a surprise to see him perform well at this level in the international game. Of course for us he is a very good player – I wait for him with impatience because we need Harry and we need also Jamie [Vardy] because they are Leicester.”

Puel said if Leicester sell Maguire, finding a suitable replacement would be impossible before the league’s transfer window closes on 9 August.

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“If we lose a player just a few days before the beginning of the season without the ability to replace him … To change the scene before the start of the season is not possible,” the Frenchman added.

“He can continue to perform with Leicester and improve and that is the important thing always with a young player.”

Maguire and striker Jamie Vardy are expected to return to Leicester this week as the club prepare for their season-opening league game, against United at Old Trafford, on 10 August.