Erik Ten Hag Has Told Barcelona That Harry Maguire Is Not For Sell Following Enquiry

Barcelona asked Manchester United about the availability of captain Harry Maguire as part of the ongoing Frenkie de Jong transfer negotiations, according to reports. 

United correspondent Andy Mitten reported in the afternoon hours of Monday that the Catalan side enquired about the England international in hopes of squeezing as much as possible out of the De Jong deal that is beginning to look along the lines of inevitable. 

Maguire’s United career has been very up and down up to this point but the fact that the Spanish giants took an interest shows the football world’s appreciation for his abilities. 

In the report, Mitten also revealed that new Reds’ boss Erik ten Hag was firmly against involving his current skipper in any negotiations, indicating a true desire to work with the centre back.

With the Dutch manager evidently keen on refurbishing United’s midfield, moving on players that are not publicly known to be listed on the market could throw a major spanner in the works.

The Old Trafford side are reportedly working on a tight budget this summer and there would be no guarantees of replacing any unplanned departures. 

Maguire joined United from Leicester for a world record transfer fee for a defender before becoming the club captain halfway through that season.

Quickly earning Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s trust, the 29-year-old didn’t take long before becoming the pillar of United’s back line. 

Under his lead, the Reds finished third and second in the Premier League in consecutive seasons – for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson called it a career – while also putting together a few encouraging cup runs, including reaching the Europa League and FA Cup finals. 

Things didn’t go to plan so much for the captain last season but that can be said of the vast majority of the squad.

The Reds barely rolled over the line in the league, only able to secure Europa League football for Ten Hag’s debut season in the English top flight. 

However, in Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelöf, United have a defensive spine that does not need immediate attention.

There are more pressing issues in other areas of the pitch for the Dutchman to address and there are certainly hopes that he will be able to once again get the best out of United’s No. 5, whether he retains the armband or not. 

With Varane also not having yet seen his best form in Manchester’s red, United may not be too far away from seeing significant defensive improvement come August. 

According to other reports, the likes of Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, and Axel Tuanzebe are thought to be on the move this summer. This means that United will not have any of their key central defenders back in pre-season training until the first week of July.

It could also indicate that the club may very well venture into the market for a backup option, unless Ten Hag decides to give one of the promising youngsters a chance.