Maguire will have ‘Van Dijk effect’ at Man Utd, says former assistant manager

Former assistant manager Steve McClaren says new Manchester United signing Harry Maguire was the ‘statement’ transfer of the summer.

Maguire was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s prime target during the transfer window and the Reds eventually agreed a £80m fee with Leicester for the 26-year-old, as per the BBC.

Despite commanding such a high price, United desperately needed a centre-back this summer and Maguire has already settled in well at Old Trafford.

The Englishman looked right at home in his Old Trafford debut against Chelsea on Sunday, as the Reds demolished Frank Lampard’s side 4-0.

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Maguire was dominant in the air, but also looked composed in possession as he brought the ball out from the back.

He is already forming what could be a vert successful defensive partnership with Victor Lindelof and McClaren has compared his arrival to that of Virgil Van Dijk at Liverpool.

“The biggest statement of the summer was Maguire,”  McClaren said as quoted by Manchester Evening News.

“He is like Van Dijk signing for Liverpool. He was the difference, the player to take Liverpool to the next level.

“I think Maguire can do the same for United. He did it for United against Chelsea, magnificent. A great centre-back. He is a leader, he was talking to the players all the time. He is a huge, huge signing.”

It’s early days for Maguire at United, but the early signs are very promising. The Reds have not had a successful central defence pairing for years now and we hope Victor Lindelof and Maguire’s partnership can blossom into one of the very best in the league.

Maguire will be back in action on Monday as Solskjaer’s side take on Wolves in what promises to be a tough examination of the Reds at Molineux.

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