The seemingly endless transfer saga of Harry Maguire finally came to an end, with Manchester United roping in the 26-year-old England international for a jaw-dropping value of £80 million, making him the most expensive defender on the planet at the moment, as per BBC.
The United fans are hoping Maguire will bring his A-game to Old Trafford, and the club will get back to winning ways. It is a no brainer that Harry will be starting for the team and we might see him in action as soon as next week in United’s curtain-raiser to the season against Chelsea.
Manchester United desperately needed to sign a centre-back following their dismal end to the season which saw them lose out on a place in the Champions League and there are few better than the 6 feet 4 inches tall Maguire as he is not just a solid defender but is equally adept at dealing with long balls as much as he is confident and composed when it comes to one versus one defending; with his tall frame, he also adds up as a genuine attacking threat from set-pieces, having netted 3 goals for Leicester last season.
Maguire is expected to fit in at centre-back and permanently plug the glaring gaps in United’s defence. And with new recruits Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James putting up a good show during the pre-season, United could have a noticeably different look and feel about them when they start off their campaign at home against Chelsea on Sunday.
Let’s take a look at what the Red Devils’ strongest line up might look like after the ‘Maguire Makeover’.
PREDICTED MANCHESTER UNITED LINEUP WITH THEIR NEW SIGNINGS
David de Gea is set to sign (h/t: Independent) a new and revised long term contract with the club which makes him the No. 1 without a shadow of a doubt. With Ashley Young unlikely to feature in most of United’s fixtures this season, David may also be seen wearing the armband.
Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw are expected to be Ole’s first-choice right and left-back respectively, with both players, along with their defensive abilities being capable of taking men on, getting behind opponents and putting in deadly deliveries into the box.
Victor Lindelof is most likely to partner Harry Maguire at the heart of the Manchester United defence, making it a real ‘fire and ice’ combination of sorts, with Harry doing all the dirty work and playing a no-nonsense game while Lindelof is the cool-headed centre-back who is calm and collective when on the ball, and does not rush in to tackle at the first sign of danger.
In the middle of the park, unless sold, Paul Pogba should be starting beside Scott McTominay, who gave a good account of himself last season and is expected to fit into the great Michael Carrick’s shoes sometime in the not too distant future.
While Paul will be expected to take the game to the opposition, Scott must control and dominate the midfield, spreading the ball around and dictating the pace according to his team’s need. Playing just ahead of them and just behind the frontman will be either Jesse Lingard or Juan Mata, with Jese being likelier to start between the pair.
United could come up with a surprise on the right flank as speedster Daniel James may just break into the first team following sincere and vital performances during the pre-season. On the left, Anthony Martial should be preferred ahead of Chilean superstar Alexis Sanchez and up top, it will be Marcus Rashford leading the United attack.
