Erik ten Hag wants to offload Manchester United captain Harry Maguire and let Fred leave when his contract expires in the summer.
Following United’s disastrous season-opening losses to Brighton and Brentford, Maguire was removed from the starting lineup.
Since then, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane have been the manager’s undisputed first-choice pairing at the back, and the 29-year-old has started just one league game.
Maguire has returned to the team as a result of Varane’s recent injury, but his long-term outlook at Old Trafford appears gloomy given The Guardian’s report that he is not in ten Hag’s plans.
According to the report, even though United’s manager respects Maguire’s professionalism, he considers his “sluggish pace” to be a problem and is eager to add another defender to challenge Martinez and Varane.
Maguire left Leicester City in 2019 for a reported £80 million transfer, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appointed him club captain six months after his arrival.
The defensive player agreed to a six-year contract with a 2026 extension option. If United can offload him at the end of the season, they will likely incur a sizable loss.
Fred, on the other hand, is yet another person who does not figure into ten Hag’s long-term plans.
The Brazilian international has entered the final year of his contract at Old Trafford; although there is the option to extend it by an additional year, the club is not anticipated to exercise it.
Like Maguire, ten Hag has been impressed by Fred’s work ethic but is eager to continue overhauling his midfield in light of the summer signing of Casemiro, who is already a major player in the middle of the field.
Since 2018, Fred has been a member of the team after being acquired for £52 million from Shakhtar Donetsk.
In his first summer as manager, Ten Hag signed Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, Antony, and Casemiro to the team.
Victor Osimhen, a star striker for Napoli, is rumored to be one of the forwards the manager is interested in signing as a new long-term option.
