Aston Villa and Man Utd star would be ‘match made in heaven’ as Emery is told to pull off transfer

Man Utd defender Harry Maguire has been told that Unai Emery “would get the best out of him” if he signed for Aston Villa this summer.

The centre-back has regularly been criticised over the past couple of seasons and he has slipped down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman has preferred to use Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane this term, but with both players out injured, Maguire and Victor Lindelof have featured more of late.

But Maguire has been unable to impress and he made a huge mistake during United’s shock 3-0 loss against Sevilla earlier this month.

It is now expected that Maguire will be let go in the summer, with Napoli’s Kim Min-jae being lined up as a potential replacement.

Stan Collymore has now suggested that Aston Villa would be an ideal destination for the England international, who needs players around him to “mask his areas of weakness”.

“On the subject of potential players leaving Man United… Although I think the criticism he receives is hugely unfair at times, I think Harry Maguire, for his own sake, has to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season,” Collymore told Caught Offside.

“He’s a quality centre-back who puts his body on the line, but he does have his limitations; it’s just a case of putting others around him to mask those areas of weakness, and personally, I think a team like Aston Villa are able to offer him that. I would love to see him at Villa Park – I’d drive him from Manchester to the Midlands myself if I could.

“A club like Aston Villa and Maguire would be a match made in heaven – they’re big enough to match his ambition, they’ve got an experienced manager who could definitely get the best out of him and competition for Tyrone Mings would only be a positive thing.”

Maguire missed Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Brighton as he was suspended. Following United’s victory on penalties, Collymore has praised Ten Hag for what could potentially be a “fantastic opening season” at Old Trafford.

“Regardless of what happens at Wembley in June [Fa Cup final], assuming United can finish inside the Premier League’s top four, I think Champions League qualification, one trophy and a final in another competition would be a fantastic opening season for Erik Ten Hag.

“He’s made Man United competitive again and the only way to judge a coach is by their ability to make players better, and I think you’ve only got to look at what he’s done with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw to see that he’s a great coach.”

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