Man Utd star must follow Jordan Henderson to Ajax

Milan Keskin

• Updated: 20 Jan 2024 19:38 GMT
• 4 min read

Manchester United want to overhaul their rearguard this summer and invest in one or more central defenders.

Matthijs de Ligt, Jean-Clair Todibo and Jarrad Branthwaite are mentioned as possible candidates. According to ESPN, the arrival of a new central defender will be at the expense of Harry Maguire, who should consider a switch to Ajax.

After spending a long time on the bench at Man Utd last season, Maguire has regained Erik ten Hag's trust in recent months. The England international seemed to be on his way to West Ham United in the summer, but despite all the criticism, he still chose to remain loyal to Manchester United and go for his second chance.

It was a decision that has worked out reasonably well so far, at least on a personal level. Before the winter break, Maguire had a permanent starting position under Ten Hag again, but the results did not improve.

The expectation in England is that Maguire will become a victim of the revamping of the backline at Old Trafford next summer. The defender still has a contract with Manchester United until 2025, with an option for another season.

Maguire to...Ajax?

Maguire could choose to continue his career at Ajax, according to SciSports' Career Advice Tool. According to the data, the defender would suit the Dutch giants perfectly in terms of playing style.

This is despite the fact that the Englishman is not really known as a real ball player, which is evident from the number of passes that Maguire has played this season. The Manchester United defender pulls off an average of 49.08 passes per match, compared to the 72.23 of Ajax defender Josip Sutalo, for example.

Yet, according to the data, Maguire has the qualities to become a real Ajax defender. After all, the 62-time international currently works under Ten Hag, who has of course completely mastered the Ajax game, even if Man Utd don't often show it.

With his experience and qualities, Maguire could be an excellent addition to Ajax's current backline, which is quite young. With a defender of the calibre of Maguire, his teammates would have a player next to them who they can lean on.

The disadvantage of coming to Ajax for Maguire will be that he will take a considerable step backwards in terms of level, which is reflected in the one-star rating SciSports give him in the field of Development.

If Maguire is happy with that, it could be the ideal match for the coming seasons. The defender could obtain information on Ajax from Jordan Henderson, with whom he has been playing with the national team for years.

Estimated Transfer Value

While Manchester United paid an amount of €87 million for Maguire in 2019, Ajax no longer have to take that into account. Partly due to his age and his disappointing performances in recent years, Maguire's Estimated Transfer Value has decreased significantly.

The defender had an ETV of €22.7m at the time of his record-breaking transfer to Manchester United. During his stint at the club, his ETV peaked at €59.5m in January 2021, after which his value rapidly deteriorated. Maguire currently has an ETV of just €11.4m.