Life at Manchester United does not seem to be getting any easier for former skipper, Harry Maguire, with the struggling Englishman seemingly in need of a fresh start amid his mounting woes at Old Trafford.
Having recently been stripped of the captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag, the 30-year-old – who started just eight Premier League games last season – was also on the receiving end of a visible rant from new signing Andre Onana during the recent 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in pre-season.
It would appear that the former Leicester City man – who has been the subject of a £20m offer from West Ham United – has fallen way down the defensive pecking order of late, with rumours rife that he could be on his way before the September deadline.
Read the latest Manchester United transfer news HERE…
If the £80m signing is to find a new home over the coming weeks, Ten Hag will likely be keen to find a suitable replacement to help bolster his centre-back options ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Who could replace Maguire at Man United?
The Red Devils had been heavily linked with a move for Monaco star, Axel Disasi, in recent months, although as journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed, despite showing an "interest" in the Frenchman, it would appear that he is on his way to rivals Chelsea on a €45m (£38m) deal.
Amid that potential setback, reports in Spain have indicated in recent days that United are among the clubs to have made an offer for RB Leipzig sensation, Josko Gvardiol, with both Manchester City and Liverpool also keen on signing the exciting 21-year-old.
Although valued at a rather steep €100m (£86m), as per the report, the signing of the Croatian international could allow the Old Trafford outfit to forget all about the Stamford Bridge-bound, Disasi.
Should Man United sign Josko Gvardiol?
A player currently "at the beginning of something very special" in his career – according to talent scout Jacek Kulig – Gvardiol could prove to be a dream fit for Ten Hag due to his ability to feature as a natural, left-sided defender, unlike Disasi, with the former Ajax boss having previously outlined his preference to have a left-footer in that role.
With Lisandro Martinez currently the only other left-footed option at the heart of the defence – excluding usual full-back Luke Shaw – it would make sense to bring Gvardiol into the fold to provide further competition and cover, with Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane to be deployed on the opposite side.
The Leipzig rock's quality on the ball would make him a particularly astute option for United as the youngster regularly looks to play out from the back, notably ranking in the top 1% among his European peers for attempted passes, as well as in the top 4% for successful take-ons.
Disasi, by contrast, ranks in just the top 46% and the top 7% for those same two metrics, respectively, thus indicating that Gvardiol would be a worthy alternative in the search to find a replacement for Maguire.
Also able to offer the benefit of his ability to feature at left-back, the versatile, Zagreb native also showcased his defensive class in the Bundesliga last term after averaging 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game, with Disasi only just ahead after averaging 2.3 in that regard in Ligue 1 – as both men performed better than Maguire (1.3 tackles and interceptions per game in 2022/23).
Those similarities between the pair with regard to their ball-playing and ball-winning quality would suggest that even if United are forced to watch Disasi head to west London, they could forget all about the former Reims ace by snapping up a younger option, like Gvardiol, instead.
