Erik ten Hag ‘wants to GET RID OF Harry Maguire next summer’
Erik ten Hag will look to sell Manchester United captain Harry Maguire next summer as he continues to rebuild his Red Devils squad.
Just a day after Maguire was included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for this month’s World Cup in Qatar, the news that the club is looking to move the central defender on next year will be a big blow to the 29-year-old.
According to The Guardian, United will consider offers for their skipper to help fund a continuing overhaul of Ten Hag’s squad, but may have to accept a big loss on the £80million fee they paid for Maguire in August 2019.
Maguire will head to Qatar after United’s game with Fulham on Sunday, where he is expected to first choice for Southgate for England’s opener with Iran on November 21. However, it’s a position he hasn’t been in for his club this season.
The centre-back has only started one game for Ten Hag since being in the line-up for the 2-1 loss to Brighton on the opening weekend of the season, and United’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August.
The Dutchman is said to admire the professionalism of Maguire, but isn’t impressed by his lack of pace and is looking for more competition in that position at the club.
He has fallen behind new signing Lisandro Martinez as well as Raphael Varane, while Victor Lindelof was preferred to Maguire in United’s 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa last weekend. Effectively making the England man the club’s fourth choice pick at centre-back.
On signing from Leicester three years ago, Maguire signed a six-year deal with an option to extend to 2026 and has a salary of around £190,000 a week. Meaning that any possible suitors would need to match those terms, which could make it difficult for United to recoup what they paid for the defender.
The Manchester United man has played 153 times for the club since 2019, scoring seven goals and was made United captain by then Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer in January 2020.
Maguire may not be the only name out of the exit door this summer, with Ten Hag also preparing to let Fred leave when the midfielder’s contract expires in 2023. The club do have an option to extend the deal, but it’s unlikely the Brazilian will be offered the chance to stay at Old Trafford.
