To say that Harry Maguire's £80m move to Manchester United hasn't worked out would be an understatement. The defender was signed with the intention of replicating Virgil van Dijk's impact at Liverpool, but he's done anything but, and arguably the opposite.
Handed the captain's armband in 2020, the former Leicester defender has since lost his place at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag often preferring a centre-back partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
The 6 foot 4 England international particularly struggled in the 2021/22 season, making mistake after mistake as United endured a campaign to forget, finishing outside the Premier League's top four, and as low as sixth.
His struggles have culminated in reports suggesting that a move away could be on the cards this summer, but United may be forced into a significant loss on Maguire's initial record-breaking fee, believes transfer insider Dean Jones.
Jones told Football FanCast: “He’s, at the very least, a £30m defender. If you were to really argue his case, you might be able to say he’s a £50m defender, given the fact that he’s got over 50 England caps to his name, and captain of Man United, he’s been established in that England set-up.”
How much is Harry Maguire worth right now?
Making just eight starts last season, Maguire's valuation has never been lower. According to Transfermarkt, the 30-year-old is currently worth just €20m (£17.06m), which is £62.94m less than the fee that United paid for his arrival back in the summer of 2019.
It's no real surprise that his valuation has collapsed, however, given just how mistake-prone he has become over the years. During his time at Old Trafford, he has made seven errors leading to goal, with his performance against Brentford at the start of last season particularly concerning.
If you could point out just where Maguire's United career really looked on its way to ending, it was the 4-0 loss against the Bees, who scored four goals in the space of 35 first-half minutes to run riot against the Red Devils.
The result came just one week after Ten Hag's side lost to Brighton & Hove Albion, and saw the club captain lose his place. United went onto defeat Liverpool 2-1 in their next game without Maguire.
Speaking on the defender, Simon Jordan criticised Maguire, saying on talkSPORT: “I’m not worried about people like Maguire being fit. Personally I think he’s a bit of a liability.
“He’s a colossus of a player but turns like an ocean liner. A quick forward is going to run him!”
What happens next with the centre-back remains to be seen, but it looks as though a starting place at United is a long way off from ever happening again. The Red Devils had the third best defensive record in the league without him, and will only continue to improve.
Those at the club may well be forced to simply cut their losses this summer, and move on from what, quite frankly, has been a horrible transfer mistake.
