Manchester United have rejected Barcelona’s attempt to sign defender Harry Maguire as part of the Frenkie de Jong deal, journalist Martin Blackburn.
De Jong is Erik ten Hag’s number one transfer target so when Barcelona came calling for Harry Maguire, it was almost certain that the new Man United boss will send him to the La Liga.
However, it seems like ETH has decided to trust the club captain despite his poor performances for the club in the previous season.
Man United are still actively chasing Frenkie de Jong but they are not ready to send Harry Maguire to Camp Nou as part of this arrangement.
According to reports, Manchester United have rejected a sensational request from Barcelona for England defender Harry Maguire to be included in any deal to sign midfielder Frenkie de Jong 😮
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 26, 2022
Has Ten Hag made his first major managerial blunder?
Man United are really struggling to sign players early on in the transfer window and most of the blame has gone to the management for this but if Harry Maguire cannot revive his career then Erik ten Hag will be the one under the scanner.
The defender has been really poor in the previous 12 months and most pundits think he won’t be able to adapt to the new manager’s style.
Erik ten Hag wants his sides to play a high-intensity passing game but unfortunately, Harry Maguire is neither good with the ball at his feet, nor does he have pace.
It seems like the new manager is willing to offer the defender a clean slate meaning he will have the chance to prove himself during the preseason and possibly the upcoming campaign. However, we massively doubt if he can turn around his game and adapt to a totally new and alien system.
Will Harry Maguire and Varane be the main pairing?
The fact that Man United have refused to let Harry Maguire join Barcelona also indicates that the club might not be looking to sign a new central defender this summer.
During the start of the window, United were being linked with players like Pau Torres and Jurrien Timber but all those rumours have slowly died down.
Now, the main focus is on Frenkie de Jong and possibly a new forward.
A few days ago, Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Seth had also echoed such a rumour stating that signing a new centre-back is not a priority for Manchester United at the moment.
