LEICESTER’S Harry Maguire, who Manchester United have been targeting for a year, has history in northwest England.
The 26-year-old England international was born in Sheffield, schooled in Chesterfield, started at Barnsley and three of his four clubs were to the east of the Pennines. He also had a spell at Wigan in 2015.
“Harry came to us on loan and he didn’t have boots so I had to get him some,” recalls his kitman Dave Mitten. “It wasn’t easy. His feet were like barges. He was a young lad who struggled to become a regular at Wigan, but he’s done very well since.”
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So well that United are trying to sign him again after a failed attempt last season. The club are right to understand that he wants to move to Old Trafford, just as they were a year ago when Jose Mourinho told Ed Woodward quite late in the pre-season that he wanted Maguire. United tried, but Leicester were in no mood to sell their best defender to the team they were about to face on the opening night of the season – the day after the transfer window closed. So they didn’t.
Leicester currently have a higher revenue than AC Milan, they’re wealthier than they’ve ever been with a decent team to match. Last year, United felt that the new shorter transfer deadline was a disadvantage for English clubs, since European rivals have three more weeks to sign new players, not that Barcelona or Madrid were in for Maguire.
Leicester still don’t need to sell him – at least not for a fee below that which would make him the most expensive defender in world football. United have offered £70 million, Leicester want £90 million.
Maguire’s a very good central defender who performs well against some of the best teams in England, but is he one of the best defenders in the world? Will he have 15 year olds rapping about him at Glastonbury next June like Thiago Silva?
United would have paid £100 million for Raphael Varane, rated as the best young defender in the world, last year – not that Real Madrid would ever have sold him. And are not prepared to come close to what Leicester were asking.
Perhaps more pertinent is whether Maguire’s better than what United have at present. He probably is. Whatever, United’s defence needs to improve. It’s also implausible that all the current central defenders will stay at the club: Marcos Rojo, Axel Tuanzebe, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof. Injury prone Rojo has contributed little while Bailly felt that he wasn’t fancied by Mourinho and has doubts about his future in Manchester.
United used 20 different defensive combinations last season, 15 in the first 21 league games. Is it any wonder they spent only one week in the top four all season, any wonder why Newcastle United, who finished 13th, had a better defence than Manchester United? As did Crystal Palace, Leicester, Everton, Wolves and every team above United.
Maguire has an interesting history with United, too. While the star player in a top Sheffield United youth team, he played at Old Trafford in the 2011 FA Youth Cup final aged 17. Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison were the stand out players for United. Pogba was so good that he looked like an over-age kid in the playground. Pogba and Jesse Lingard are the only two players from United’s 2011 FA Youth Cup winning team who are still at the club
The game at Old Trafford didn’t go well for Maguire since he became concussed and had to stay in a Manchester hospital overnight as his team lost the second leg 4-1. Manchester United sent him a signed first team shirt as a get well soon present.
A few days later, Maguire received a call from a withheld number. It was Sir Alex Ferguson calling to check that he was ok. Ferguson told him that if he kept his head down and worked hard then he would play at the top level.
Maguire needed that boost. An outwardly tough character, he was lacking in confidence at the time and was unsure whether he’d make it as a first team professional. He placed great value on that call from the greatest manager in British football, he considered it a turning point in his career. Not only that, he vowed to play for Manchester United one day.
Maguire’s career has steadily improved. The teen star broke into the Blades’ first team and was their player of the season three consecutive seasons in England’s third tier. He’s been a Premier League regular since 2016, but the Manchester United dream never went away. And the day may be close but getting him out of Leicester will be difficult. Maguire’s not an agitator, he’s not unhappy at the club he joined two years ago, but his club know he wants to leave. United beat the Foxes home and away last year – a rare triumph in a season lacking them – but they’re a very good team and think that with a fair wind they can go past United this season. They also know that Maguire has other suitors and that could create the perfect auction position for Leicester.
There are other ties with Maguire. Assistant manager Mike Phelan worked with him when he was at Hull City. Indeed it was Phelan who made him a first team regular. While at Hull, Maguire was one of the few defenders to have the measure of the man mountain that is Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Phelan wants him at Old Trafford but £90 million is a vast fee. Something needs to give.
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