In his first press conference for Manchester United, Erik ten Hag publicly backed Harry Maguire despite him having a wretched season but it looks like Pau Torres is ultimately going to replace him next season.
Maguire has been one of the major flops for Man United this past season so it came as a shock that Erik ten Hag chose to put his faith in the current club captain.
The new boss told the press: “I have to repeat that next season is a different season but I think he did a great job. He’s a great player, he’s achieved already a lot really also [with his] contribution to Manchester United. So I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Well, this statement seems to have been an eyewash because as per the latest reports, ETH has asked Man United to go and get Pau Torres from Villarreal.
Will Pau Torres be a good replacement for Harry Maguire?
Harry Maguire has turned out to be a dud this season and at the same time, Pau Torres has impressed everyone with his performances at Villarreal.
He’s a typical modern-day centre-back who has an eye for a pass and can also play out from the back with the ball at his feet.
United have struggled this season partly because Varane has been injured for long periods of time while Maguire and Lindelof bring in no creativity whatsoever.
Every major successful team in Europe has a pair of speedy and skilful central defenders and by bringing in someone like Pau Torres, Man United will definitely be moving in the right direction.
Are Man United the only team interested in the defender?
A player like Pau Torres will obviously have multiple suitors so apart from Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs have also been linked with him.
Both the London clubs are expected to make a move for him in the coming months but according to 90Min, it’s United who are currently the favourites to sign the 25-year-old.
Manchester United are the club most interested in Pau Torres and are willing to offer upto €50m for him. Villarreal need to sell some players after failing to qualify for #UCL. Ten Hag wants a ball-playing defender and Torres fits into his plans #mufc #mujournal
[@marca] pic.twitter.com/SlaamsQ4u2
— United Journal (@theutdjournal) May 23, 2022
Villarreal are ready to part ways with the defender and since the two London clubs need to bring in a central defender urgently, they are surely not going to give up without a fight.
Chelsea and Tottenham have both qualified for the Champions League next season and this might be a key facet which will help them move up the pecking order in this transfer race.
Which team is ultimately going to get their hands on the defender?
Chelsea will see multiple defenders leaving in the summer so Tuchel has to bring in a new centre-back to be able to fill up the void. Also, Spurs need reinforcements in defence now that they have secured UCL qualification.
However, we think Manchester United will still be Torres’ prefered destination because Eric Bailly will be leaving in the summer and Erik ten Hag is just waiting for an opportunity to get rid of Maguire.
At United, he can very easily get into the first XI and since they will be playing in the Europa League next season, the defender will get some time to settle into the Premier League.
