England manager Gareth Southgate has claimed Harry Maguire is still the best centre-back at Manchester United, even though Erik ten Hag also has four-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane at his disposal.
Maguire struggled to find his best form at Old Trafford last season - prompting Ten Hag and the club to set their sights on a new signing in that position. Ajax starlet Jurrien Timber and Pau Torres from Villarreal remain under consideration 12 months after United recruited Varane for £34million.
When fit and available, the World Cup winner has been a starter in his first season at United, while Maguire has occasionally had to settle for a place on the bench under former interim manager Ralf Rangnick due to his struggles away from the international scene.
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However, for his country, Maguire has been a trusted performer - most notably at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and Euro 2020 last summer. England manager Southgate has now made an eye-catching statement about the former Leicester City man over his standing in the United pecking order.
Southgate said: "There's obviously a big change around at Manchester United and that's going to affect everything. For me, he's [Maguire] still their best centre-back. I'm sure the manager will watch the games back and have his own view. For us, with all our data across the season, he's been the same.
"Although the perception is that he is at a certain level, he's still among our top two or three. The fact is that Harry and John [Stones] have been our best pairing."
On the player being booed for England during the March internationals, Southgate added: "I didn't understand how a player, who hadn't even kicked a ball in the game and has been one of England's best players for four years. It was hard to quantify what he had done when there are boos when his name was read out.
"I didn't understand that. I spoke to Harry briefly after the game, but he kind of got on with it."
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