£80m MAN MAGUIRE WILL BE JUDGED AGAINST VAN DIJK
SAYS RIO FERDINAND
MOHAMED Salah? Harry Kane? No the ‘biggest problem’ Harry Maguire will face at Manchester United is Virgil van Dijk.
That’s according to Rio Ferdinand, who claims the Liverpool defender will cast a long shadow over United’s new centre-back following his £80million move from Leicester.
Van Dijk cost £75m and was previously the world’s most expensive defender. He helped transform Liverpool’s defence on their way to victory in last season’s Champions League and Ferdinand believes that’s the impossible standard Maguire will be expected to meet.
‘They’re going to judge him against Van Dijk. Can he come in and make them a Championship winning team or a Champions League winning team immediately? No, he can’t... it’s too big a gap to close,’ Ferdinand said.
‘Liverpool were closer when Van Dijk signed (in January 2018). So it’s a totally different argument but that’s what he’ll be judged against. That’s his biggest problem I think.’ Like Ferdinand, Maguire will wear No 5 after arriving for a world-record fee.
He has been signed to add leadership and quality to United’s backline and his first chance to impress comes against Chelsea on Sunday. But, as Ferdinand knows, the defender’s true acid test will be at the training ground.
‘When you walk in there, you know everyone is saying — from the players in the team, to the dinner ladies — what’s £80m getting you? They’re looking you up and down, sizing you up, your first touch on the training pitch, your first pass,’ he says. ‘The way he manages that will determine how he does, definitely how he starts,’ BT Sport pundit Ferdinand said. ‘The moment you start sitting there and think people are doubting you, that’s when you have problems. When they’re thinking: “£80m? That isn’t worth £80m”... then you’re having problems.’
For Maguire, the waters are muddied further by what’s around him. Ferdinand admitted he was lucky not to face the 24-hour social media circus. He also joined a team of winners, while most of the current crop are still ‘fighting to be loved’.
‘The harmony isn’t there like it was in my time. So it was definitely easier for me in that sense.’
Ferdinand hopes United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finds a
philosophy that allows his new defender to drive out with the ball. ‘He’s one of the best, if not the best at it in the world,’ Ferdinand claimed.
And the former centre half is confident his successor has the leadership and personality United have long lacked — and will need to regain their place in the Champions League.
‘He’s got big shoulders to carry this type of burden,’ he said. ‘It seems like he made it clear to Leicester early on that he wanted to go. It’s a bit like me and Leeds... I like that. That shows that you’ve got something about you.’ Nevertheless, Ferdinand preaches caution. ‘Everyone thought (Alexis) Sanchez was going to come in and hit the ground running — he was the best player at Arsenal,’ he said. ‘We’ve bought a centre half from Leicester. There’s a big difference between Leicester and Arsenal and Sanchez came in and struggled.’ He added: ‘To expect Harry Maguire to change everything is a huge ask. I would love him to do it, is it possible?’ Meanwhile, Gary Neville has blasted Romelu Lukaku for a lack of professionalism, saying it is ‘unforgivable’ that he was overweight.
Lukaku tumbled out of the Manchester United exit door with Inter Milan completing a £72million deal, including £12m in bonuses, for the striker yesterday.
The Belgian had trained away from Old Trafford this week after going AWOL as he practised with former club Anderlecht and their Under-18s on Monday and Tuesday. He flew to Italy on Wednesday with his agent Federico Pastorello ahead of undergoing a medical yesterday before signing a five-year deal with Inter until June 30, 2024.
The 26-year-old had not played any part in United’s pre-season due to a mysterious ankle injury but arrived for the start of it overweight according to Neville, much to his disdain, who tweeted that he was weighing more than 100kg (15st 10lb).
‘I think he is a really good player — he’ll score a lot of goals and do well at Inter Milan, said the United legend. ‘But the idea of a player being overweight for me is unforgivable. You can play badly, miss shots on goal, hit a bad cross or give goals away as they’re mistakes in football but you can’t be overweight.
‘You can’t go out on a Friday night and drink alcohol — there are things that you’re in control of. There’s no excuse for not being fit. We were never overweight, not fit or not prepared. How can you be overweight?’
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