Manchester United’s 2023/24 season hasn’t begun in the fashion Erik ten Hag anticipated, and it could unravel into a nightmare should they fail to win against Brighton and Hove Albion tomorrow afternoon.
With just two wins from four Premier League matches, United are already six points behind leaders Manchester City and a major upturn in form will be required to see them through this blip.
The summer transfer window proved to be underwhelming to say the least and that’s despite signing Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund.
None of these arrivals have made an impact as yet, but the Dutchman will need them to step up sooner rather than later or else they could soon to start to feel the heat of the Old Trafford crowd.
Ten Hag did manage to ship out Fred however, although the Red Devils suffered a major loss on the Brazilian.
How much did Manchester United sell Fred for?
The midfielder cost the Old Trafford side £52m when he joined in the summer 0f 2018 and his five seasons in Manchester ended up being a major letdown.
He made over 200 appearances for the club, yet scored just 14 times and his last season saw the 30-year-old start only 23 games across all competitions, and it looked as though he wasn’t part of Ten Hag’s future.
Indeed, United accepted an offer of £12.9m for the Brazilian from Turkish outfit Fenerbahce, and he departed after five years in the Premier League.
His poor performances meant the club failed to recoup anywhere near what they spent on him in 2018, and they have another player whose value has dipped rapidly since arriving in Manchester – Harry Maguire.
How much did Manchester United sign Harry Maguire for?
With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm, the Red Devils lured the Leicester City centre-back to Old Trafford for a staggering £80m fee in 2019.
The manager heaped praise on him not long after signing the player, saying: “I think he's been brilliant [since signing],” said Ole. “I think he's come into the dressing room and been a leader. He’s also obviously a leader on the pitch, you can see that.
“He is definitely a character and a personality that can be a captain of a big club, yeah, and he's a leader in the dressing room – by performances, presence, stature, and behaviour.
“He's a character that you'd say you'd like to follow. Some are technical leaders, some are leaders by voice and he's got the lot really.”
Despite the strong start, the massively inflated fee has hung over his head over the previous four years and his value has since dipped majorly.
What is Harry Maguire’s market value now?
According to Football Transfers, the Englishman is now only valued at €19m (£16m) and this represents a decrease of £64m – or 80% – in relation to his initial transfer fee.
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It is a sharp decline and even when United signed him, Maguire’s value was only €22.7m (£19.5m), suggesting that Solskjaer clearly overpaid the Foxes in order to sign the defender.
This plummet in value has been due to a variety of reasons, but it has been his performances for United over the previous few years which have ultimately been the catalyst.
Why is Harry Maguire worth this much?
His first two seasons at the club actually saw Maguire rank in the top five for overall Sofascore rating for his performances in the Premier League, but then he soon started to decline.
During the 2021/22 campaign, he dropped to ninth in the squad for overall rating, while ranking 12th for tackles and sixth for interceptions per game, indicating that he wasn’t having a positive influence in the team.
The following season was even worse as he struggled under Ten Hag, who took over in the summer of 2022. The defender ended up making just eight league starts, and it soon became apparent that the Dutchman favoured a defensive duo of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.
He was even criticised by former professional footballer Lianne Sanderson, who said: “It’s really difficult because Harry Maguire has been woeful for United for a long time. He was again last night. He will know that. He doesn’t need everyone telling him. But Gareth Southgate picking him is hanging him out to dry. Not good for the lad at all. It’s obvious to see.”
According to FBref, the 30-year-old failed to rank in the top 25% when compared to positional peers for clearances, blocks and interceptions per 90, while ranking in the lowest 22% for tackles per 90, and it goes to show just how much of a decline he has endured recently.
This season hasn’t exactly gone much better as Maguire has played just once in the league, coming on as a late substitute against Arsenal and the Gunners ended up netting twice in added time to secure a vital win.
He failed to make a tackle, interception, or clearance during those 23 minutes on the pitch, winning one of his two aerial duels while also losing possession four times and Ten Hag should keep him on the sidelines following this performance.
It’s evident that Solskjaer endured a major blunder on the defender, wasting a fee of £80m on a player who was relatively unproven at the elite level, and it will now haunt United, especially as they will get just a fraction of this fee should they sell him in the future.
The 59-cap dud still has two years left on his current contract, and it gives Ten Hag plenty of time to find a suitor for the player.
Big money mistakes will need to be avoided over the next few years, especially if the former Ajax boss wants to get United back to the top of English football, and having defenders like Maguire in the starting XI isn’t going to help his cause.
His future looks unclear, despite West Ham United showing interest during the summer transfer window, but one thing is certain, he won't be at the Old Trafford side for much longer, especially if Ten Hag has his way.