Manchester United make £70m transfer decision as Zinedine Zidane pathway cleared

Manchester United are in the midst of the second international break of the season with members of the squad representing their countries around the world.

With no Premier League action this weekend there has been a lot of speculation around Old Trafford. A lot of it is centred on the future of Erik ten Hag.

It’s been a disappointing start to the season under the Dutchman, United sit in 14th place in the Premier League table after the first seven games. A 0-0 draw with Aston Villa in their last outing extended the team’s winless run to five games in all competitions.

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A meeting between the club’s hierarchy was held this week, with Ten Hag’s future one of the topics of discussion. It now does seem that the manager will remain for the return of the Premier League when United take on Brentford at Old Trafford on Saturday, 19 October.

Over the weekend, there has been more stories doing the rounds surrounding Old Trafford. MEN Sport have taken a look at a couple and given our own thoughts.

Harry Maguire decision

Manchester United have reportedly made the decision to cash in on defender Harry Maguire in the January transfer window, and are willing to take a heavy loss on the transfer fee. Maguire joined United from Leicester City in the summer of 2019 for a then-world-record £80 million fee.

However, according to the Daily Star, the club are now willing to take a price of around £10 million in the summer. Should that be the case, the deal would see them lose around £70 million.

MEN Sport says: With just six months remaining on his contract at Old Trafford, United have a decision to make over Maguire’s future. They have three options, sell in January, lose him for nothing in the summer, or offer him a new deal to extend his stay at the club.

It seems that United are opting for the first option, which will at least, see them recoup a small amount of the outlay spent on the defender five-and-a-half years ago. There’s no doubt that Maguire could still perform in the Premier League and would be a good pick up for any mid-table/bottom half team, but the time for him to move on from United is probably right.

Zinedine Zidane update

United have been handed a potential boost should they still be interested in appointing Zinedine Zidane as a potential replacement for Erik ten Hag. Zidane is one of the names to be linked with the job at Old Trafford over the last few months amid speculation over Ten Hag’s future at the club.

One barrier may have been the potential availability of the France national team job. There has been some speculation over the future of Didier Deschamps with Zidane named as a potential replacement.

However, RMC have reported that Deschamps will remain in the role, with the idea of Zidane succeeding him and therefore his achievements being forgotten one of the reasons he will stay.

MEN Sport says: One of the reasons Ten Hag remained at United in the summer was because there wasn't the right replacement available at the time. It seems that could again be one of the reasons he is still in situ at Old Trafford.

Zidane has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, it feels like if a move for the French legend could happen, it would have happened in the summer. The pull of the manager would have been huge in the summer transfer market.

That, of course, could be the same in January. If United do want to re-open the possibility then it’s good news that another option is off the table for the manager.

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