£85 Million for the Slab Head?
Finally after all the countless rumors this past summer regarding Manchester United’s endless pursuit towards buying a much-needed center-back for next season, the time has come. According to many sources such as Sky Sports, Bleacherreport and Di Marzio, Leicester City’s 26-year-old English International defender Harry Maguire has just been sold to Manchester United for a world record fee between £80-£85 million.
While the official announcement from United has yet to come, the fee and deal have had many fans torn apart. Some fans believe that Maguire is the real deal and well worth the inflated price, thinking that he is the long term solution towards fixing the weak defense United has had this past season. On the other hand, some fans are outraged by this high price Lecister has been able to demand and think Maguire is overrated. Below are some opinions by fans over the news:
I personally think Maguire is a good player that offers confidence and comfortability on the ball, which will finally allow United to play from the back. Is he maybe a bit overrated? YES, but he is an improvement to a defense that has been plagued with the likes of Chris Smalling every week. While Victor Lindelof has held down the fort solidly, he does have room for improvement as a defender but at least has the potential to do so. I think Eric Bailly is the better player but unfortunately is injured every other week. If Maguire can prove us wrong and show that he was worth every penny, then our youngsters and upcoming stars can flourish without having to all defend constantly, worrying if Smalling and Jones can protect us. I also see Marco Rojo as a great defender, although he has also dealt with injury, he is aggressive and is willing to put his body on the line.
Seeing the highlights above, it's clear he has the strength and defensive capacity that we have been lacking consistently but fears me with his lack of speed and mobility. If we are up against higher pressing teams, he’s going to struggle and could be very susceptible to getting pass by easily. All in all, this is probably an overpriced buy, but we know what we are getting, a proven premier league defender that can handle the intensity of the premier league. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is planting the seed toward a title-contending team that will hopefully challenge for the title this season. While we may not have champions league this season, this is the time to work hard and improve so we can return back to where we deserve. The season is set to start next week and I’m very excited to see how we perform this upcoming season.
Anthony