Transfer Round-Up & Discussion - Summer 2022

I know Harry Maguire isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but I put this, with full respect, to any fan who believes that he should be a starter even after the rebuild, and that for a club with Utd's stature and standards, we can't find a better replacement with relative ease.
This isn't hate or slander, just my opinion with some facts and stats thrown in.
Leicester went from consecutive 9th place finishes with him, conceding 60 and 48, to consecutive 5th place finishes, conceding 41 and 50 without him as soon as he was sold, with Jonny Evans at CB, no less. Leicester replaced Harry Maguire and their defence was reliably improved over a significant period, and it should be clear to everyone that we got rid of Evans for a reason too. I'm not asserting he's the whole reason, or even a reason, that's just what happened.
Yes, our defence improved when he came in, but the point to take from Leicester is that he wasn't, and isn't the only one, nor the best who could have come in to do that. A few steps forward from where we were doesn't mean we're where we should be.
Performance aside, Harry Maguire:

  • Posted his own passing stats after three separate defeats while captain
  • Said the words ‘do you know who I am’ while trying to bribe a police officer, also while captain
  • Cupped his ears after a goal against Albania, then got sent off later in the week for Utd
  • Said, ‘there’s a reason both managers put me in the Starting XI every game', after a year of poor performance and dropping out of Top 4, also saying it wouldn't happen if he was playing badly.

Ask yourself if you would have done any of those things. The answer is, hopefully, no.
'Do you know who I am' is textbook out-of-touch, self-indulgent celebrity. You don't do those things without having a seriously inflated sense of self and a planetary ego.
No, he isn't the worst player, nor person, in the world. Very far from it. And yes, he has been extensively available for us, but for both ability and personality, he is ultimately just not a player Man Utd can't, and shouldn't, replace with better.

/r/reddevils Thread