There’s almost certainly a rebuilding job that Erik ten Hag will have to undertake at Man United in the summer, and that could spell danger for one player in particular.
The Dutchman has made quite the impact since taking over at Old Trafford, guiding the club to a League Cup win over Newcastle and into the FA Cup final and a difficult assignment against Pep Guardiola’s swashbuckling Man City side.
Whether or not the club is taken over that shouldn’t reflect on ten Hag’s position, but he does need to be given the tools to be able to improve the Red Devils.
For any new signings that may be coming in, underperforming stars will need to be sent on their way, and according to super agent, Haydn Dodge, writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, there are good enough reasons why Harry Maguire will be one of those shown the door.
‘Centre-half issues become a more difficult conversation. Harry Maguire is one of four or five, with Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw who has been playing left side centre half, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane are injured… ,’ he wrote.
‘If you’re Man United, do you go into the summer and assess or do you say to Maguire that you need to go?’
It’s been obvious for anyone watching United when Maguire is in situ that the defender is too slow and cumbersome to execute the style of football that ten Hag has the Red Devils playing.
There are other teams where he could go and prove to be an astute signing, because his days at Old Trafford would appear to be numbered.
‘I still think there’s an appetite for the likes of Palace, Villa, Leicester and maybe Sheffield United to take a punt, so potentially if he’s on too much money, a loan becomes the conversation, or Man United just sell him for £40m and they’ll have to play around with FFP over the next three years rather than the next one,’ Dodge added.
‘Let’s be honest, he doesn’t even get in the top four centre-backs when everyone is fit, which says it all in terms of what the club think of Maguire and his performances. You don’t particularly want his atmosphere around the squad if he’s not playing well and not confident, and so he becomes surplus to requirements.’