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Harry Maguire would be a great signing for Newcastle United – John Barnes

10 months ago
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Harry Maguire has found himself a squad player at Manchester United.

After three seasons as first choice and indeed as captain, the 2022/23 Premier League season saw the defender named on the bench 23 times in the league and only make eight starts.

Erik ten Hag making it very clear that he doesn’t see Harry Maguire as a first team player.

Now John Barnes has claimed that with the central defender having no future at Old Trafford, Harry Maguire would be a ‘great’ signing for Newcastle United.

I must admit, I laughed out loud when I read this. As clearly John Barnes is under the impression that Harry Maguire would walk straight into this current Newcastle United team.

This would be news to Fabian Schar and Sven Botman who were one of the very best centre defence partnerships last season, indeed, many Newcastle fans and neutrals would struggle to name a better partnership based on what we all watched over the course of the 2022/23 campaign.

The stats are there for all to see, no PL team conceded less goals than Newcastle, Man City matching them on 33 conceded, Man U letting in 10 goals more.

Man U conceding 43 was a major improvement on the 57 leaked the season before when Harry Maguire was first choice at Old Trafford, however, still nowhere close to what NUFC achieved. This despite Man U having World Cup finalists Varane and Martinez as first choice.

Harry Maguire has ended up as one of those strange players who Gareth Southgate repeatedly plays, despite next to no club football. Since May 2022, Harry Maguire has started 12 games for England but only eight Premier League matches for Man U.

I am not completely writing off Harry Maguire but if say he did somehow end up at St James’ Park, I certainly couldn’t see him as first choice. Seen as his current wages are way above the top earners at Newcastle United, that would appear to be another factor to make any move to NUFC ‘slightly’ unlikely.

On the other hand, Harry Maguire does desperately need another football club and I’d imagine Man U very happy to move him on, so then a case of where that could be AND what kind of flexibility Maguire and Man U would show to try and make a transfer happen.

You would imagine it is all but certain that Eddie Howe will bring in at least one centre-back this summer, especially with Lascelles surely set to leave for regular football. However, the expectation for most Newcastle fans is that a younger defender would be targeted. Potentially as a longer-term successor to Fabian Schar.

John Barnes talking about Harry Maguire and Newcastle United, speaking to indiabetting:

“I think Harry Maguire would be a great signing for Newcastle.

“He’s English, he’s a main player for the national side and he’d be a good signing for Newcastle if it comes off.

“I think Maguire can have a better time at Newcastle.

“Because of course, you look at him when he plays for England and of course Harry always plays and Gareth Southgate loves him in the team.

“It just hasn’t worked for him at Man Utd and once it doesn’t work, it’s going to be difficult for the fans to back him.

“Once he’s got this perception, no matter how well you do for England or elsewhere, it will be difficult for him to do that at Man Utd.”

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