5 centre-backs who can replace Harry Maguire at Manchester United
Harry Maguire was quite remarkable at the heart of defence for Manchester United in the 2020-21 season. He was sorely missed in the final few weeks of the campaign and his absence in the Europa League final was a big blow to the Red Devils.
Maguire then went on to have a great outing at Euro 2020, where he was officially named in the team of the tournament. The build-up to that point would wheedle anyone into believing that the Englishman was ready to take his game to the next level.
Harry Maguire has underperformed massively at Manchester United this season
When Manchester United brought Raphael Varane to the Theater of Dreams in the summer, they expected the move to shore up their defence. The Frenchman has done a good job but Harry Maguire's level has dropped off massively.
These days, it is rare for Harry Maguire not to be turned inside out during a game. He is clearly what you call a 'confidence player' and is really running low on fuel right now.
The good thing is that Manchester United are rich enough to throw money at their problems. Of course, they need to be more surgical about it than they have been in the recent past.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five centre-backs who could replace Harry Maguire at Manchester United.
#5 Diego Carlos (Sevilla)
Sky Sports reported in January that Sevilla centre-back Diego Carlos was ready to submit a transfer request to secure a move to Newcastle United. Sevilla are giving Real Madrid a proper chase in the title race while the Magpies are scrambling to move out of the Premier League drop zone.
It came as a huge surprise that Carlos was willing to forgo the opportunity to win the La Liga title just to get embroiled in a relegation battle. But to each his own. The Brazilian has held the fort down for the Andalusians and has helped them keep the best defensive record in La Liga so far (17 goals in 25 games).
Sevilla would have reportedly let him go for the right price. But Newcastle United wanted to sign him on an initial loan deal for £5 million with an option to buy for £26 million in the summer.
You need to add some Manchester United premium on top of that, and maybe Sevilla will be open to selling the 28-year-old to them for around £40 million this summer. Carlos is a strong centre-back who is excellent at aerial duels. He is also a very good passer of the ball and is quite an aggressive presence at the back while defending.
Diego Carlos opened the scoring in @SevillaFC_ENG's win at Osasuna last season... 💪
#OsasunaSevillaFC https://t.co/05sV35ViXm
#4 Pau Torres (Villarreal)
If it was last season, Pau Torres would be higher up on this list. That's not to say that Torres' form has deteriorated in the ongoing season. But one of Torres' principal weaknesses is his tackling ability. Manchester United have suffered a great deal already due to how poor Maguire is at it.
But Torres, being left-footed, will definitely bring a lot more dynamism to their game. The 25-year-old can do a very good job with the ball at his feet. He is a very good passer of the ball and is also quite fearless when it comes to getting in the way of shots in the final third.
The big upgrade, with respect to Maguire, would be that Torres very seldom overcommits. He has a good reading of the game and is a composed presence at the back. Torres has been in very good form since the turn of the year and not much is likely to go wrong with signing him.
He has also scored three goals in his last six games. Harry Maguire, being billed as a major threat from set-pieces, was expected to add goals to Manchester United when he was signed. We all know how that one's going.
Pau Torres - Passing Ability https://t.co/u5RwXA5M9z