ERIK TEN HAG was champing at the bit to ditch Harry Maguire and replace him with Matthijs de Ligt, Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has claimed.
Maguire’s long-term future at Old Trafford has been up in the air for the last two years due to a string of inconsistent displays.
Matthijs de Ligt has been thrown into the deep end at Manchester UnitedREX
Erik ten Hag’s immediate inclusion of his summer signing has come at the expense of Harry MaguireREX
REXPaul Scholes reckons Ten Hag couldn’t wait to bin off Maguire[/caption]
The world’s most defensive defender’s struggles prompted a £43million summer swoop for De Ligt, who has been thrown in at the deep end this campaign.
And Scholes can’t help but feel De Ligt’s almost immediate inclusion in the starting XI is a telltale sign that binning off Maguire has been on Ten Hag’s mind for some time.
During the latest Overlap Fan Debate: ‘He couldn’t wait to get de Ligt straight in ahead of Maguire, he was just waiting for the opportunity.”
De Ligt has yet to convince Scholes that he deserves to be in the heart of United’s defence over Maguire, who vowed last year to fight tooth and nail for his place in the team.
The 49-year-old said: “And look, in all honestly, I’m not sure it is that much of an upgrade.
“He might be slightly better but he is not a massive improvement where you think, ‘Wow.’”
Ten Hag’s decision to integrate De Ligt and his former Bayern Munich team Noussair Mazraoui into the starting XI so quickly has come as a surprise to Scholes.
He said: “Manuel Ugarte was announced on the pitch for the Liverpool game.
“And then he went away with Uruguay.
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“And with the South Americans, they don’t come back until a Friday sometimes and then they played at 12:30pm on a Saturday at Southampton.
“[Erik] ten Hag’s a bit like that with his new players, he seems to take a little bit of time to bring them in.
“[Matthijs] de Ligt was the same.
“The only one who has come straight in is [Noussair] Mazraoui.”
Manchester United will be back in action this evening, welcoming Dutch giants FC Twente to Old Trafford.
Paul Scholes was speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet.