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Manchester United are ready to take a staggering £70m loss on Harry Maguire ahead of the January transfer window, according to reports.
Maguire has endured a turbulent spell at Old Trafford since his £80m move from Leicester City in 2019.
Given his extortionate price-tag – he became the most expensive defender in history – the England international was expected to thrive at United and establish himself as one of the standout defenders in the Premier League.
Maguire was handed the captain’s armband shortly after his arrival in Manchester but was stripped of the captaincy last year after attracting criticism for his performance from several club legends and a large section of the club’s fans.
The 31-year-old has been battling to revive his Manchester United career for several years but his efforts have not been helped by reoccurring injury issues.
Fitness problems essentially ruled Maguire out of England’s Euro 2024 campaign last summer and he suffered another setback before the international break, pulling up in the goalless draw with Aston Villa.
Maguire said he expected to be sidelined for ‘a few weeks’, leaving him little time to prove his worth to United before potentially being sold in January.
Erik ten Hag was open to selling Maguire last year but then began utilising the England star once again after a move to Premier League rivals West Ham collapsed.
However, Manchester United signed two new centre-backs over the summer, suggesting Ten Hag still has reservations about Maguire.
The Daily Star say Ten Hag has sanctioned Maguire’s exit ahead of the winter window and claim United will consider selling for just £10m, representing a staggering loss of £70m.
The Red Devils spent more than £50m to beat Real Madrid and Liverpool to French youngster Leny Yoro, before bringing in Netherlands international Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich.
De Ligt has made a poor start to his United career but Ten Hag will persevere with his compatriot and is also expected to rely heavily on Yoro once he recovers from an injury he suffered in pre-season.
Maguire also faces competition from Argentina World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez and 36-year-old Jonny Evans, who produced a Player of the Match performance at Villa Park last weekend.
Discussing the injury setback he sustained against Aston Villa, Maguire said: ‘Frustrated to pick up an injury at the weekend.
‘Will be a few weeks on the sideline for me but I’ll come back stronger.’
Ten Hag was keen to throw summer signing De Ligt into his defence at the start of the season and Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes he ‘could not wait’ to drop Maguire.
But the ex-England midfielder is not convinced that De Ligt is ‘much of an upgrade’ on Maguire.
‘He could not wait to get de Ligt straight in ahead of Maguire, he was just waiting for the opportunity,’ Scholes told The Overlap with Sky Bet.
‘And look, in all honestly, I’m not sure it is that much of an upgrade. He might be slightly better but he is not a massive improvement where you think, “wow”.’
Manchester United will likely look for January reinforcements following a dismal start to the season. Just two wins from seven games has left the club 14th in the Premier League.
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