Manchester United have been told they still need another centre-back signing despite spending big on bringing in Harry Maguire from Leicester City last summer.
The England international has had a strong first season at Old Trafford, but Man Utd have not really made the improvement many will have wanted to see this season.
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Maguire made the latest Premier League team of the week, with Garth Crooks praising him in his weekly BBC Sport column.
The pundit did add, however, that Maguire could really benefit from a better central defensive partner, as he urged United to sign a Virgil van Dijk-esque player to go alongside him.
“Earlier in the week against Chelsea, Maguire was the villain after getting away with an unacceptable challenge on striker Michy Batshuayi. Against Watford he wasn’t exactly the hero, but he played a pivotal role in securing a clean sheet for the Reds,” Crooks said.
“Two matches, two wins, two clean sheets and six points suggest United are building from the back. I still think they need another top-class defender to play alongside Maguire if they intend to be taken seriously as a top-four team.
“With an in-form Martial – and Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford waiting to return – United have the firepower. What they need is a Virgil van Dijk-type figure alongside Maguire in defence.”
Van Dijk, of course, has been a real hit at Liverpool, but United could perhaps be justified in feeling Maguire should be making a similar impact considering he cost even more than the Dutchman did.
Still, every player is different and it could be that Maguire would improve a lot with more of a natural leader playing next to him.
Either way, most Red Devils fans would likely agree that an upgrade on players like Victor Lindelof is probably needed this summer.