A report suggests Manchester United have already decided to put club captain Harry Maguire up for sale this summer.
The story comes with the line that Erik ten Hag has been told by the board he must sell players to raise funds this summer if he wants to add new signings to the squad.
In turn, Football Insider claims Ten Hag has decided that Maguire, 29, is surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has built his defence around Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez this season and fans have seen the team defend a lot better with the addition of Casemiro in midfield.
With Ten Hag settling on his preferred defensive partnership this season, I think everyone knows that throwing Maguire into that defence will only see a drop in standards. He just doesn’t cut the mustard at this level when United have changed their approach drastically by playing with a high defensive line.
That doesn’t mean Maguire isn’t good enough as a back up option. It’s just a matter of whether you think he is happy playing second fiddle at this stage of his career. I’d presume he will want to leave in the summer and we will need to find a replacement. It may explain why United have enquired about Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
Maguire has made just 21 appearances this season — across all competitions — picking up a total of 996 minutes on the pitch under Ten Hag.
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