19 January 2024 , 09:41
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Manchester United may yet consider offers for Harry Maguire in the summer as Erik ten Hag plots an ambitious overhaul of his defence.
Maguire, 30, was heavily linked with a transfer in the summer after losing his spot in the team and the club captaincy, but the England defender reclaimed his place following a string of impressive performances before getting injured last month.
Such a turnaround has seen others, notably Raphael Varane, fall down the pecking order at Old Trafford and Ten Hag has been impressed by Maguire's reaction to said adversity. But the Dutchman's desire to freshen up his defensive options means Maguire could still be at risk in the summer.
According to a new report from ESPN, Ten Hag and football director John Murtough have already held meetings to sketch out plans for the next transfer window and it's expected there will be both incomings and outgoings in defence.
There are currently three central defenders on Ten Hag's wishlist: Jean-Clair Todibo, Jarrad Branthwaite and Bayern Munich's Matthijs De Ligt, who Ten Hag knows from his time at Ajax.
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In terms of departures, Varane and Jonny Evans are both out of contract in the summer, but the report claims Maguire and Victor Lindelof could also depart if either attract adequate offers.
Maguire was the subject of interest from West Ham in the summer after being relegated to the bench for the majority of the 2022/23 campaign but Ten Hag insisted he was "very happy" that the defender had chosen to stay and fight for his place.
Join the debate! Do you think Man Utd should sell Maguire? Let us know here.
Erik ten Hag has designs on overhauling his defence in the summer transfer window (Manchester United via Getty Images)The Manchester United chief said back in August: "I am happy Harry is here. We need a good squad. we have four good centre-halves - five including Luke Shaw - and we need it because we are going to play 50-60 games this season.
"All the players are internationals, so we have a very heavy load to cover so I am happy Harry is here. He has to fight for his position - as everyone in the squad has to - because we have constructed a squad with two [players] for every position and we need it."
The club are expected to be active in reshaping their squad in the coming months with Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team set to assume control of sporting operations.
The British billionaire, who struck a £1.25billion agreement with the Glazers for a 25 per cent stake in his boyhood club, is expecting his deal to be ratified in the next few weeks.