Manchester United in a three-horse race to Harry Maguire partner
Improved Manchester United defence needs more reinforcements this summer.
The net rattled for the third time on the evening, making sure that Manchester United‘s journey in Europe was near to an appalling end. Harry Maguire, the Manchester United captain, was on the picture, stood still, with an uninspired face, staring at the ball, and maybe thinking what a huge blunder his partner had made just a few seconds ago to apparently gift Sevilla the lead for the first time on a cursed night.
On the other part of the field, Maguire’s partner in crimes, Victor Lindelof, the culprit of the Sevilla’s second and utmost goal that decided the outcome of the match, and especially the whole tie, was in a mood of initiating a wrestling match between him and Bruno Fernandes, who was very quick to get down the pitch and throw some words at Lindelof under the sense of both anger and frustration.
Although the falling-out between two of the most prominent individuals within the Manchester United squad was nowhere near to surmount the extreme boundaries, the occurrence left Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer exposed with his definitive idea regarding Manchester United defence.
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The partnership of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof showcased some decent performances in the 2019-20 Premier League campaign, having helped Manchester United keep the third-best defensive record in the league, with the Red Devils conceding only 36 goals — one more than second-placed Manchester City and three more than the PL champions Liverpool. Hence, Solskjaer might have expected something better on the semi-final night of Europa League in Köln.
While one could undoubtedly question Lindelof’s positioning and concentration for the second goal as the goalscorer Luuk de Jong, whom Lindelof should have marked, was the only Sevilla player present inside the box at that moment, Maguire’s participation for Sevilla’s first goal would obviously ensue the defensive obscurity that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hadn’t had to deal with for the most of the 2019-20 season.
Many think the partnership of Maguire, who joined United for a whooping £80 million from Leicester City last summer, and Victor Lindelof, a Jose Mourinho signing, has not gelled enough yet, meaning Manchester United might bring a new man this summer in the office to bind that desired chemistry with the most expensive defender in world football.
And there is a very little confusion that it would be a left-footed centre-back as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was spotted saying to AFC Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake: “We need a left-footed centre-back, so keep going.”
Even tough Ake has already tied his destiny with Manchester City, there is no shortage of potential stars in this market as Manchester United are currently believed to be spending time considering their targets.
According to the reports from Italian transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, Manchester United are still in the race to sign Brazilian starlet Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães alongside Napoli and Arsenal.
The story suggests that Napoli are the keen favourites to sign Magalhães from Lille this summer, with the representatives of player believingly agreed his personal terms verbally with the club. However, it is widely speculated that Napoli would submit a bid for Magalhães only if their superstar Kalidou Koulibaly parts his way with the club.
Otherwise, there is a firm chance that Arsenal might get Magalhães as they have reportedly contacted the club about the transfer fee. Yet the departure of their Head of Football, Raul Sanllehi, also known as “Don Raul” amongst the Gunners’ fans have reduced the pace of the negotiations.
Manchester United are regarded as a silent watcher in this chase, with sources saying that Ed Woodward and co. are only waiting for the right time to appear. Magalhães is understood to take a decision very soon regarding his future, with the player himself not wanting to pursue his career at France and seeking an exit this summer. £22 million is what Lille OSC are asking at the moment as a part of the compensation.
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Do you think Magalhães would end up being a Manchester United player this summer?