Harry Maguire has been advised that moving to Tottenham could be a bad idea, with former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore suggesting he should move to Aston Villa instead.
The Man United captain is reportedly subject to interest from Tottenham, with new Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou expected to strengthen his squad's defence. His departure from United looks a distinct possibility, with the 30-year-old having slipped down the pecking order this season following the arrival of Lisandro Martinez.
His potential arrival at Spurs has also been used as a potential way of retaining Harry Kane at the club, with the pair's friendship from their time together as England teammates believed to be strong. However, this could prevent United from selling Maguire to Spurs, with signing Kane believed to be a 'priority' this summer for United.
However, signing for Spurs could present problems for Maguire, with the club's fanbase having become renowned for their displays of discontent towards the club's direction. This has been suggested as a reason for him to avoid Spurs and choose a club moving in a more positive direction, such as Aston Villa.
The reasons for this were outlined by ex-Premier League striker Stan Collymore in his column for Caught Offside, he said: "I’m not so sure about Maguire and Spurs. I think that they do need central defenders, Maguire has the name recognition and is a very good defender. He needs a fresh start and needs to leave Man United because he’s tainted goods there.
"Maybe Ange Postecoglou is the man in terms of his character to get into his head. It’s been mooted that Villa are interested and I think that would be a slightly better move for Maguire. Unai Emery is a bit more of an experienced coach at the top level.
"I think Villa need a central defender every bit as much as Spurs. If Ange doesn’t start well, the toxicity around the club would be the last thing that Maguire would need, and at Villa, there’s the feel-good factor at the moment."
Maguire has suffered from booing in the past couple of seasons, with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Man United precipitating a downward turn in his fortunes at United. For this reason, Collymore outlined how an upwardly mobile club, such as Villa, who finished seventh under Unai Emery this season and qualified for European football at Spurs' expense, could be the solution.
Collymore continued: "He can help in the Conference League and Villa is a progressive, upwardly mobile, happy place. If the worst cast scenario happens, he will go from Man United where he’s been seen as the root cause of all the playing problems to Tottenham where if it doesn’t happen in the first 12 games for Postecoglou, there’ll be the ENIC out/Levy out brigade.
"I just think Villa will be better for him as a player and a human being."
