{"id":91677,"date":"2023-08-14T15:27:37","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T15:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/08\/14\/harry-maguire-must-prove-he-is-top-class-or-go\/"},"modified":"2023-08-14T15:27:37","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T15:27:37","slug":"harry-maguire-must-prove-he-is-top-class-or-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/08\/14\/harry-maguire-must-prove-he-is-top-class-or-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry Maguire must prove he is top class or go"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Erik ten Hag says Harry Maguire would be better off leaving Manchester United if he is not confident enough to battle for a first-team spot.<\/p>\n

The United boss is adamant he thinks Maguire can be an important part of his plans.<\/p>\n

However, after Ten Hag took the captaincy off the 30-year-old, United then\u00a0accepted a \u00a330m bid from West Ham\u00a0for him.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe has the ability to be a top-class centre-back,\u201d said Ten Hag.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is the best for England so why shouldn\u2019t he be the best for us?<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he has to prove it. When he is not confident enough to fight then he has to go, then he has to make a decision. But I\u2019m happy with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is not yet clear whether Maguire will make the move, nor if he will be involved in United\u2019s opening Premier League game against Wolves on Monday, although Ten Hag indicated he will be.<\/p>\n

Ten Hag\u2019s team selections have suggested Maguire is behind Victor Lindelof as backup to first-choice pair Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, with Luke Shaw also playing in central defence last term.<\/p>\n

Jonny Evans is still training with United and would be an easy replacement if Maguire did decide to move on.<\/p>\n

Any deal for Maguire can generate more finance for Ten Hag to go back into the transfer market.<\/p>\n

Mason Mount, Andre Onana and the currently injured Rasmus Hojlund are United\u2019s major pieces of business this summer.<\/p>\n

They went for Hojlund\u2019s potential after deciding trying to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham would be too expensive, even if chairman Daniel Levy had been willing to sell to a Premier League rival.<\/p>\n

Ten Hag says he is happy with the club\u2019s business so far but he notes the huge sums being spent elsewhere, with\u00a0Brighton\u2019s Moises Caicedo\u00a0set to join either Chelsea or Liverpool for a British record fee in excess of \u00a3110m.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne year ago we did a benchmark and there were only five players above \u00a360m,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you see all over many clubs investing high rates in their squads. The competition is very tough in the Premier League but we are happy with the squad we constructed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ten Hag confirmed striker Anthony Martial would be fit for the Wolves encounter after missing all United\u2019s pre-season games with a hamstring injury.<\/p>\n

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