Harry Maguire told transfer that would be 'match made in heaven'

Stuart Telford

• 25 Apr 2023 10:49 BST
• 3 min read

Harry Maguire looks bound for the Manchester United exit, and Aston Villa would be the perfect club for him according to their former striker Stan Collymore.

Erik ten Hag re-confirmed Maguire as Man Utd captain at the start of the season, but the England centre-back has only made seven Premier League starts with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez preferred at centre-back - before they were hit with injury.

Maguire remains a stalwart for England, but his performances for United seem to have suffered from his lack of confidence, and the Red Devils have been linked with a number of summer replacements, from Jurrien Timber to Kim Min-jae.

READ: Maguire could be replaced by England teammate at Man Utd

Maguire and his agent were spotted having a meal at a restaurant near Aston Villa's training ground in January, and Collymore thinks a move to Villa Park this summer would be perfect for him.

Collymore: 'I'd drive him there myself'

"Although I think the criticism he receives is hugely unfair at times, I think Harry Maguire, for his own sake, has to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season," he told CaughtOffside.

"He's a quality centre-back who puts his body on the line, but he does have his limitations; it's just a case of putting others around him to mask those areas of weakness, and personally, I think a team like Aston Villa are able to offer him that. I would love to see him at Villa Park - I'd drive him from Manchester to the Midlands myself if I could.

READ: Real Madrid could see target snatched by ASTON VILLA

"A club like Aston Villa and Maguire would be a match made in heaven - they're big enough to match his ambition, they've got an experienced manager who could definitely get the best out of him and competition for Tyrone Mings would only be a positive thing."

Villa have been resurgent since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard as manager in October, and the Spaniard is set to be handed a significant transfer kitty this summer.

Maguire, the most expensive centre-back of all time when he joined United from Leicester for £80m in 2019, is now valued at 29.8m (£26.4m) by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm.