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Man United do not view Jonny Evans as a good enough replacement for Harry Maguire.
Manchester United seem to be closing in on a deal that will see Harry Maguire head elsewhere and play his football away from Old Trafford in 2023/24.
The defender has had a pretty rough time of it over the last couple of seasons, with his performances starting to struggle and confidence completely through the floor. He was also removed of the captain’s armband, which would have stung.
Now, the Manchester Evening News have covered all bases as United look to find Maguire’s successor. Well, it doesn’t look like it will be Jonny Evans, who has been signed to a short-term contract for pre-season.
According to the MEN, Evans is ‘not viewed as a sufficient replacement’ for the outbound Maguire, and his contract expires before the end of this month. It’s still unsure whether the Northern Irishman will remain a the club beyond that point.
United are apparently ‘attempting to sign’ a centre-back to replace Maguire, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmon Tapsoba now under consideration. The centre-half has just one year left on his current deal with the Bundesliga club.
This does not mean Evans will be let go. In fact, he could yet stay, though in a role that’d see him as the fifth-choice centre-back at best. Whether or not the 35-year-old would be okay with that sort of position at United remains to be seen.
It goes without saying, United are looking to bring in someone who is a future replacement for the ageing Raphael Varane. With the Frenchman’s injury issues, the club need to go out there and sign someone who can step in and do a good enough job from day one. At Evans’ stage in his career, that’s sadly not viable.
Do you think Jonny Evans will still be given a one-year deal? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
