Journalist Luke Edwards has labelled West Ham United’s reported pursuit of Harry Maguire as a ‘really good idea’.
According to The Mirror, the Hammers are considering a loan move for the Manchester United defender this month, with Craig Dawson potentially heading out.
Maguire has played eight Premier League matches for the Red Devils and four of those have been from the start, averaging just 48 minutes on the pitch per game.
Despite his lack of minutes in a Man United shirt, Maguire featured in all five of England’s World Cup matches this past winter and even picked up an assist.
Speaking on Transfer Gossip Daily, Edwards said he believes Maguire is better than being fourth or fifth-choice for Manchester United and would be a fantastic West Ham replacement for Dawson.
He stated: “At stages this season, Victor Lindelof has played ahead of him, Martinez has played ahead of him. So he’s effectively already fourth-choice centre-back. He’s now got a left-back [Luke Shaw] pushing him out the team, so he’s now fifth-choice and I think Harry Maguire’s too good for that.
“He’s 29, I think it’s probably the time for him to be brave and leave Manchester United, and I think West Ham would be a really good move for him. I think it’s a really good idea from West Ham to try and get him on loan.
“I think Craig Dawson, the West Ham defender, is of interest to Wolves; I think Wolves want to sign him on loan – plus I suspect if they let Dawson go out, they’ll want a replacement in.”
TIF Thoughts on Edwards’ comments…
We believe that despite the fact he’s low in the pecking order at Man United, Maguire would be a great pick-up for David Moyes’ side.
The 29-year-old has plenty of experience at the top level, making 211 Premier League appearances with the Red Devils, Leicester City and Hull City, while the centre-back also has 53 England caps to his name, playing in two World Cup tournaments.
In recent times, the defender has shown that he can be a solid player at the top level. At the World Cup, Maguire silenced a lot of his critics when he played for the Three Lions, with ex-United defender Rio Ferdinand writing that the 29-year-old was England’s ‘best player’ against the United States.
There’s no doubt that Maguire is of Premier League quality and in a relegation fight, that could be a big difference-maker when it comes to the Hammers’ battle against the drop.