Manchester United’s decision to spend £80million on Harry Maguire has been blasted as “unbelievable”.
United paid the world-record fee to sign Maguire from Leicester City last week, and the 26-year-old is set to make his Premier League debut for the Red Devils against Chelsea on Sunday.
But one pundit has been left baffled by the price paid for Maguire, saying he was “the worst player on the pitch” during’s England Nations League defeat to Holland in June.
Rafael van der Vaart, the former Tottenham midfielder, was responding to fellow Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, who said £80m was “too much” but hailed Maguire as a “technically good” player who could transform United’s dressing room.
Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp said: “It is an awful lot of money. £80m for a defender is astronomical.
(Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag)
“But it seems like there’s something fundamentally wrong with that dressing room. Too many players don’t feel that passion to play for Manchester United .
“But he is a warrior, he wants to win, he knows the game, is very good technically and a good defender.
“You can then in the dressing room start to change that whole process that’s been going on over the last few years.
(Image: PA)
“It is too much money but you are getting a really good defender who will change that dynamic of the dressing room.”
Former Holland international Van der Vaart then recalled England’s 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in June, after which Maguire was criticised for his performance.
Van der Vaart said: “I’s funny, we were in the Nations League, Holland vs England. I was working for Dutch TV and Harry Maguire was the worst player on the pitch.
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“And then two months later, £80-£90m? Unbelievable. Good technically?”
The £80m United shelled out or Maguire eclipsed the previous record, which was the £75m Liverpool paid for Balon d’Or favourite Virgil van Dijk.
