Ten Hag warned Man Utd star will cause problems if not sold quickly; two Prem moves possible
An England icon is baffled why a fallen Man Utd star still hasn’t been sold, though TEAMtalk has learned a move to Everton as well as West Ham is possible.
Once Rasmus Hojlund completes his £72m move from Atalanta, Man Utd must sell before making any further major-name acquisitions.
Plans are in place to make further signings, with Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat atop the club’s midfield shortlist.
Elsewhere, the Daily Mail reported a new centre-half is being spied in the event a buyer is found for Harry Maguire.
The Mail named Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite as well as Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice as targets under consideration. According to reports out of Spain, the latter has given the thumbs up to signing for Man Utd.
Whether United do swoop for a new centre-back will largely hinge on selling Maguire.
Per the Manchester Evening News, United’s initial £50m valuation has been greatly reduced to around £30m.
However, that is still £10m more than they’ve been offered thus far, with West Ham the only side to table a concrete bid that was worth £20m.
Elsewhere, TEAMtalk exclusively learned Everton too are showing interest in the England international.
But as yet, Maguire remains at Old Trafford despite slipping to fourth-choice and recently being stripped of the captaincy.
The fact no club has pounced for the 30-year-old may not surprise some, but it has certainly come as a shock to England great, Stuart Pearce.
Maguire’s game has no negatives – Pearce
In quotes carried by the Manchester Evening News, Pearce insisted much of the criticism Maguire receives is overblown. He also claimed there are no negatives in Maguire’s game as a centre-half.
Furthermore, Pearce claimed Maguire may well make life for Ten Hag uncomfortable at Old Trafford if he’s retained beyond the summer window. Explaining why, Pearce suggested Ten Hag might find himself forced into a humbling U-turn regarding team selection.
“I don’t see some of the noise that I hear,” said Pearce. “For England, he’s been sensational, he’s always been Gareth (Southgate’s) first pick.
“He went to the World Cup and had a fantastic tournament, one of the better players there, especially when you consider some of the pressure around him.
“If I was a Premier League manager, I would be doing everything I can to bring Harry Maguire to my football club.
“For what he stands for as a player, his age, experience, he’s comfortable on the ball, and capable of goals in the opposite box – I can’t see any negatives. For me, I would do my level best to get him out of United if I was a manager at another team.
“It tells you a lot when Ten Hag isn’t saying, ‘I want Harry Maguire moved on’. That tells you his attitude in training is spot on.
“He sees his worth – he doesn’t see him as a first-team starter but whenever you need a game seeing out, he puts Maguire in the heart of defence to make sure they keep the ball out the net.
“When he comes off the bench in the 85th minute, he gets straight into the game. He does the job the manager wants him to do and that says a lot about his character.
“Knowing Harry, if he stays at United, he’ll do everything he can to make life uncomfortable for Ten Hag with his performances to get back into the team.”
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