West Ham weighing up loan move for Manchester United defender Harry Maguire

West Ham are contemplating a move to sign Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on loan for the rest of the season.

Harry Maguire, 29, has lost his place under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, starting just four Premier League games so far this season. Ten Hag has preferred the central defensive pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, which has forced Maguire to get used to the substitute bench at Old Trafford.

Despite excelling for England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Man United skipper has just one of the four league games since the Premier League’s resumption last month. In fact, Luke Shaw got the nod ahead of Maguire alongside Varane in last Saturday’s impressive comeback victory over Man City in the Manchester derby.

Maguire’s uncertain future at Man United has reportedly caught the attention of West Ham, who could lose defender Craig Dawson to Wolves in this transfer window. Wolves have already had a bid rejected for Dawson but are expected to return to the table for talks. Dawson, who is valued at around £ 7 million, is open to a return from east London to the Midlands having played before at West Brom.

In case Dawson ends up joining Wolves, West Ham could find a solid replacement for him in Maguire.

Should West Ham make a loan offer for Maguire?

Harry Maguire is now apparently the first-choice centre-back at Man United, and for a player who has been a regular starter at the club since arriving from Leicester City in 2019 until this season whilst being England’s best defender under Gareth Southgate, the current situation should be a tough pill to swallow.

Maguire’s stock has nosedived in the last 15 to 18 months and he was often made a scapegoat for United’s failings last season. The Red Devils are believed to be ready to sell their skipper in the summer, as there are doubts about his future at the club beyond with Ten Hag keen to reinvest in his squad. Nonetheless, he could be a strong option to bolster West Ham’s defensive ranks.

David Moyes’ side have lost four of their last five games, conceding nine goals in the process. Moyes urgently needs reinforcements in a few areas of the pitch to help the club move out of the relegation zone, and getting a player like Maguire on loan could be of big help.

Maguire needs regular game time to get back his confidence and he should ideally find that at West Ham, who are finding it difficult to stop conceding goals at the moment. The England international is still capable of competing at the highest level and would tighten up the Hammers’ leaky defence. That said, West Ham should make a loan offer for the United skipper as quickly as possible.

However, it remains to be seen whether Ten Hag allows Maguire to leave on loan this month with the Red Devils still competing in all four competitions.