Former Arsenal midfielder Adrian Clarke has questioned Manchester United’s decision to sign Harry Maguire and claimed the player isn’t even the best defender at Leicester .
United have reached an agreement with Leicester to sign the England star for £80million – and the deal for the 26-year-old is now subject to a medical.
Maguire was strongly linked with both Manchester clubs over the summer but Leicester held out for their valuation and will receive a world record fee for a defender, eclipsing the £75m Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil Van Dijk in January 2018.
However Clarke reckons United are paying far too much for the centre-back, believing his current team-mate and former Red Devil Jonny Evans is better than Maguire.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
Clarke told talkSPORT 2: “He is overpriced by around £25m at least, if not more than that.
“I see him as a good defender, but I certainly don’t see him as a great defender.
“I’d even argue that Jonny Evans, the man Manchester United disposed of and the man he was partnering last year at Leicester, is a better defender than Harry Maguire.”
United had made strengthening the centre of their defence a priority at the start of the summer, with the need only becoming more acute when Eric Bailly suffered a knee injury during their pre-season tour of China which is expected to keep him out for at least four months.
(Image: Leicester City via Getty Images)
The deal represents a tidy profit for Leicester, who signed Maguire for an initial £12million – potentially rising to £17million with add-ons – from Hull in the summer of 2017.
The Foxes were in a strong negotiating position after the Sheffield-born player signed a new five-year deal in September.
Maguire began his career with Sheffield United before stepping up to the Premier League with Hull in 2014.
Shortly after joining Leicester he received his first senior England call-up and has since won 20 caps, playing a starring role as Gareth Southgate’s side reached the semi-finals of last year’s World Cup, scoring his first international goal in a 2-0 win over Sweden in the quarter-finals.
