Man Utd risk angering Ten Hag as Harry Maguire plan comes to light

Manchester United’s hierarchy may reportedly Erik ten Hag’s frustrations as a result of their plan for Harry Maguire, who finds himself facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford in advance of next season. The England defender has played a bit-part role for the vast majority of the campaign to date, with the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and even Luke Shaw being preferred to start at centre-back over the last few months.

A summer exit would make sense for both United and Maguire, who is currently among the club’s highest earners and could benefit from regular minutes elsewhere in order to keep himself in Gareth Southgate’s plans at international level ahead of Euro 2024. He is already said to have emerged as a potential summer target for the likes of West Ham and Newcastle, although the structure of any deal to see him leave Old Trafford could risk upsetting Ten Hag behind closed doors.

United are willing to let Maguire leave in order to get his salary, which is believed to be around £200,000 per week, off their wage bill before next season gets underway. That’s according to TEAMtalk, who claim that a move to either West Ham or Newcastle would likely come in the form of a loan deal with an option or obligation to buy in the summer of 2024.

However, this plan would do little to please Ten Hag, who is reportedly keen to snap up a top-class striker with the ability to lead the line for United over the coming seasons when the bidding opens later this year. The Dutchman would reap the rewards of adding to his transfer kitty by selling Maguire outright, although it seems unlikely that such a deal will be done if United’s decision-makers are not fully on board.

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It remains to be seen where Maguire will end up over the next few months, with a summer move away from Old Trafford seemingly the most likely course of action as things stand. He has struggled to live up to expectations on a consistent basis since joining the Red Devils from Leicester City back in 2019 for around £80million, a fee which made him the most expensive defender of all time.

United would undoubtedly need to accept making a loss on Maguire in order to sell him in the not-too-distant future, with former Tottenham defender Alan Hutton having already suggested that most clubs would only be willing to pay up to around £35m in exchange for the 30-year-old’s signature.

“They are maybe getting to that stage,” Hutton told Football Insider when asked if Maguire’s time at United is nearly up. “He is a really good defender, they probably paid over the odds for him at the time.

“Does he fit into that Ten Hag way? Is he going to come out with the ball, be confident, spread the passes about? I am not so sure. If they are to sell him, could they get £30m or £35m for him? Possibly. It is still a lot of money so they are going to have to take a hit on him.”

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