Harry Maguire may push for Manchester United exit as Erik ten Hag eyes an alternative for David De Gea – Paper Round

Maguire worried about World Cup

Harry Maguire is concerned about being frozen out at Manchester United after being dropped for the 2-1 win against Liverpool on Monday. The Mirror report that the United captain was warned before the season started by new manager Erik ten Hag that the armband would not keep him in the starting eleven if he was not performing. Maguire is now worried that it could affect his World Cup hopes with England later this year. The Mirror state that clubs could “look to exploit the uncertainty” around Maguire and there has already been reported interest from Chelsea for the 29-year-old.

Paper Round’s view: Surely Manchester United cannot sell or even loan Maguire this season. Yes – Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez looked like they had formed a solid partnership against Liverpool… but that was one match. You cannot change your entire opinion of United on 90 minutes at Old Trafford – in a derby when anything could happen. Maguire is unlikely to be panicking and he will be concentrating on trying to win his place back in the starting team. There will be plenty of opportunities too as United are competing in the Europa League this season.

Ten Hag eyes De Gea competition

Manchester United are contemplating the idea of signing a goalkeeper in the summer transfer window. The Premier League club could make a move for a ball-playing goalkeeper to give new manager Erik ten Hag an alternative option to current number one David De Gea, according to the Independent. United have Kevin Trapp of Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Yann Sommer on their shortlist of stoppers. The report reveals that Trapp would be interested in moving to Old Trafford but would cost at least €10 million.

Paper Round’s view: It may be harsh, but it could be argued that De Gea is the root of a lot of Manchester United’s problems on the pitch. The Spaniard lacks the traits to play the way that Ten Hag wants. De Gea is pretty woeful with the ball at his feet – especially in comparison to the likes of Ederson and Alisson – and he doesn’t really use his box too well. He just doesn’t really play the role of a sweeper keeper (although he showed spells of adaptation against Liverpool on Monday). The fact that he sits so deep in his six-yard box could be affecting his defence, which is severely lacking in confidence. Signing a cheap, alternative option could be a smart move from United. But then what does the club do with De Gea?

Whatever happened to ‘third time’s a charm’?

Chelsea have decided to end their pursuit of Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana after seeing a third bid rejected by the Foxes. The Sun reveals that Chelsea’s latest offer was worth £70 million including add-ons. However, the club will now turn their attention elsewhere, despite Blues boss Thomas Tuchel being “desperate” to sign Fofana. The west London club believed that the 21-year-old’s world-record asking price of £85 million was too much considering he has played fewer than 40 Premier League matches so far in his young career.

Paper Round’s view: £85 million is a huge amount of money for any player… let alone a 21-year-old with not much top-level experience. The problem is that Leicester know they do not need to sell – so they can demand whatever transfer fee they want. We have seen this before with the Foxes when they sold Riyad Mahrez (who moved to Manchester City for £60 million) and Harry Maguire (who Manchester United signed for a record-breaking £80 million). Fofana will be disappointed, but he needs to crack on with his season. The French defender sat out in Leicester’s home defeat to Southampton, but will he sit out again this weekend against… Chelsea?

Bayer Leverkusen are the CHO-sen ones

Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is set to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign. The Evening Standard reveal that the Bundesliga club held off competition from Premier League duo Newcastle United and Southampton, as well as German rivals Borussia Dortmund, in order to clinch the loan signing of Hudson-Odoi. The 21-year-old is desperate to play first-team football and new Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly “personally pleaded” with Hudson-Odoi to make sure he only to left Stamford Bridge on loan, instead of in a permanent transfer.

Paper Round’s view: There has been a huge amount of hype around Hudson-Odoi, but it has failed to turn into anything real. Back in 2019, the young winger won three senior England caps and signed a five-year contract at Chelsea worth more than £100,000 per week. The Blues even rejected multiple approaches from Bayern Munich for the promising attacker. However, it has just failed to click at Stamford Bridge for Hudson-Odoi… so far. He is still only 21 years old. What seems strange is that Chelsea are happy to spend £60 million on Everton youngster Anthony Gordon when they still have a promising player in Hudson-Odoi – who is only spending the season out on loan.