Summary
Manchester United could replace Harry Maguire with one of his England international teammates at Old Trafford as Erik Ten Hag continues his recruitment drive, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.
Is Harry Maguire leaving Manchester United and who could replace him?
Cited by The Independent, Ten Hag has laid the gauntlet down to Maguire amid speculation surrounding his future at Manchester United, stating in an interview: "He has to fight for his place. He has the ability to be a top-class centre-back and he is the best for England so why shouldn’t he be the best for us? But he has to prove it. When he is not confident enough to fight then he has to go, then he has to make a decision, but I’m happy with him."
West Ham United have had a £30 million bid accepted for the England international; however, he has neither agreed personal terms or undergone a medical at the London Stadium, as per Telegraph Sport.
Former Leicester City star Maguire has been stripped of the captaincy at Old Trafford and is behind Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof in the pecking order under Ten Hag.
Aston Villa have initiated enquiries regarding a potential deal for Maguire in light of Tyrone Mings sustaining a serious injury in the Villans' defeat to Newcastle United last weekend, as per FootballTransfers.
Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi and Bayern Munich star Benjamin Pavard have all been linked to Manchester United as figures who could replace Maguire at the club.
What has Rudy Galetti said about Fiyako Tomori?
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Galetti has indicated that AC Milan central defender Fikayo Tomori has also been shortlisted as a candidate to strengthen Ten Hag's backline.
Galetti stated: "To replace Maguire, coming back to the centre-back situation, there are many names on Manchester United's list at the moment. Jean-Clair Todibo, Marc Guehi, and also Fikayo Tomori, are some of the profiles under evaluation on their side."
Would Fiyako Tomori be a good signing for Manchester United?
Interestingly, the centre-back has even recorded a faster top speed than Marcus Rashford.
Tomori has been a smash hit at the San Siro since moving from Chelsea to Italian shores permanently in a deal worth £25 million in 2021, as per Sky Sports.
Last term, the Calgary-born £74k-a-week earner made 45 appearances in all competitions for AC Milan, registering one goal and one assist in the process, as per Transfermarkt.
Playing out from the back with relative ease, Tomori averaged a pass success rate of 88.9% over the course of the campaign, demonstrating his suitability toward Ten Hag's high-octane style of play, as per WhoScored.
The 25-year-old has also excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in the art of tackling, winning around 2.34 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the eighth percentile for this metric, as shown by FBRef.
Cited by METRO, Manchester United boss Ten Hag has issued a plea to the Red Devils' board as he attempts to bring in more new signings this window, saying in an interview: "I will always want more! But I think every manager you could ask would also want more. But it is about the mentality; in top football we are talking about the demand, the absolute maximum. Because we demand that from our players and, in their defence, they expect it from us. We are looking for the perfect situation but you never get the perfect situation. Then you have to come into your place and work for that, maybe with not the perfect situation but the perfect results."