Danny Murphy believes Harry Maguire does not have a future at Manchester United but would be a decent signing for Newcastle United.
The Red Devils paid £80million to sign Maguire in 2019 but the defender has struggled despite his top performances for England.
Named club captain by former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the 29-year-old has not just struggled on the pitch at times but faced his fair share of problems off of it.
A fresh start is probably the best solution for player and club with the United hierarchy desperate to raise funds to ensure Erik ten Hag can be backed in the summer transfer window.
Having paid a ming-boggling £80m fee to bring in Maguire, you would expect the Red Devils to ask for an ambitious fee to sell him.
Given his form in the Premier League, it would be surprising if a side comes forward and offers half of what United paid to sign him from Leicester City.
The Manchester club might be happy to see the back of their captain and his wages, with a transfer fee being a welcome bonus.
Maguire was linked with a move to Chelsea last summer – in a switch that would suit him with the Blues often operating with a back five.
Filthy-rich Newcastle have been mentioned by the odd pundit, with Eddie Howe unlikely to pursue the England centre-half.
Sven Botman joined the Magpies last summer and has been one of the best signings of the season, developing a great partnership with Fabian Schar.
Having only conceded 11 league goals in 2022-23 – the best in the division, three better off than Arsenal – Howe will probably not look to bring in a new centre-half this month.
If they do go in for a player in Maguire’s position, former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy reckons the Geordies “could do a lot worse” than the United skipper.
Asked if Maguire has a future at Old Trafford, Murphy told talkSPORT: “No, but he has a good future somewhere else because he’s still a great talent.
“He’s got leadership qualities, he’s learnt at United. Yes, he’s had a little bad spell but a lot of it has been good. He’s done brilliantly on the international stage at big tournaments, he’s great on set-plays, he’s a good character.
“He’s not a ‘big time Charlie’, he’s humble, he looks like a great lad, good family, good support network around him. He’s going to have many takers.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if someone like Eddie Howe went for Maguire as another choice for them. A club like Newcastle could do a lot worse than get someone like Maguire.”
Transfermarkt values Maguire at £26.5m – which you would probably expect United to be happy to receive.
The 29-year-old has only started four Premier League matches this term with Erik ten Hag preferring Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and even left-back Luke Shaw.
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