Maguire has a problem, Varane has a partner! Manchester United high-five with Ajax

Manchester United have been trying to agree terms with Ajax for some time now for the transfer of stopper Lisandro Martínez, who was requested by Erik ten Hag in the first place. The player himself has chosen Old Trafford among several options, and according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, both clubs have already agreed on the details of the contract.

The still 24-year-old Argentine has been in Europe since the summer of 2019, when he arrived at Ajax from Defensa for €7 million. And immediately since his arrival in the Netherlands, he has become a key figure in the Amsterdam defensive unit, for which he played 40 games in his first season.

He continued his excellent performances in the following seasons, in which he was one of the team’s top-rated players. No wonder the Hag believes in him. Thus, it can be assumed that he could form a stopper duo with one of the pair of Raphaël Varane or Harry Maguire, who was given the captain’s armband by the Dutch coach.

However, this may only apply to pre-season preparation. Indeed, it will be very interesting to see whether the Manchester United captain will confirm the views of many that he is not up to the task, or whether he will finally show his qualities, which could be aided by a functioning team.

This is because last season the team was absolutely tragic in terms of defending and the defence often did not and could not cope with the attacking attacks of the opponents. In the end, the Red Devils’ defenders looked like incompetent amateurs, and of course it was Maguire, for whom Leicester paid 87 million euros, who was the one who was ridiculed.

However, the biggest problem with the 29-year-old stopper is speed, which may not fit at all in the system that the Hag wants to practice. In many ways, Varane and Martínez (the only left-back among United’s stoppers) have much more potential to form a solid central duo, which was last seen at Old Trafford since the days of Ferdinand and Vidic.

But unless the midfield and attack work, they too will be the laughing stock of the Premier League!

The transfer of Martínez thus looks very promising, with both teams agreeing on key things at Wednesday’s meeting and only the details of the contract should be fine-tuned on Thursday.

The question still remains whether the two sides will discuss during the negotiations the possible transfer of Antony, who is also the subject of much speculation in the English media that he could be heading to Manchester United.

Source: Fabrizio Romano, Transfermarkt