Aston Villa have expressed a concrete interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, who is expected to leave the club in the upcoming summer transfer window after falling down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag.
The England international, 30, dropped to fifth-choice centre-back at Manchester United this past season, with Luke Shaw preferred to him in many games in the absence of regular centre-back pairing Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane. The defender has looked out of sorts and error-prone often and made two huge errors in Man United’s Europa League quarter-final defeat to Sevilla.
Harry Maguire has endured two underwhelming campaigns at Old Trafford, ever since the 2020 European Championships. And after four years at the club, there is an understanding that the Red Devils are open to parting ways with the 30-year-old defender, whose stock has dramatically fallen in the last 18-21 months.
With Euro 2024 set to take place at the end of next season, Maguire also wants to leave Man United as he wants regular first-team football to ensure he keeps his place in Gareth Southgate’s England first XI. The central defender’s current contract at United runs until 2025 and includes the option of another 12 months, if the club wishes to keep him.
Erik ten Hag wants to bolster different areas of his squad and has given the green signal for Maguire to leave, with United determined to receive a fee this summer. Aston Villa reportedly enquired about Maguire in January and are still keeping tabs on his situation. They could face strong competition expected from Tottenham and West Ham for the United skipper’s signature.
Harry Maguire needs a change of scenery to reignite his career
Harry Maguire started just eight of 16 Premier League games this past season, failing to regain Ten Hag’s trust after losing his place in the side. While he has previously been determined to stay at Old Trafford and fight for his place, there is an acceptance from Maguire and his camp that he needs to leave the Mancunian giants in order to revive his career and keep his first-choice status intact in the English national team.
A move to Aston Villa could help the English defender in his cause. Unai Emery’s Villa guaranteed a Europa League Conference playoff berth with a win over Brighton on the final day of the season. This will see the Midlands club back Emery with a huge transfer kitty to bring in players he feels will suit his system at Villa Park.
European football returning to Villa Park next term should help Emery to lure his targets to the club. The Spanish manager could convince Maguire to join his forces at Villa and resurrect his stuttering career.
An England international, Premier League proved and only 30, it is understandable why Emery wants to sign Maguire. The former Leicester City man still has a good few years left at the top level and would boost Villa’s defensive options ahead of a potentially gruelling next season. He desperately needs to play regularly and get his confidence back, and an experienced manager like Emery could massively help him in his cause.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
