Former Aston Villa player Stan Collymore has advised Harry Maguire to choose his old side over Tottenham Hotspur amid news of the 30-year-old's potential exit from Manchester United.
Harry Maguire, despite being the team captain at Old Trafford, lost his place in the team's starting eleven, and a further disastrous individual performance over the course of the season has sparked speculations of a possible exit during the summer transfer window.
Manchester United rejected a loan bid from Newcastle United last week, and Tottenham Hotspur are allegedly showing strong interest after the appointment of a new manager, Postecoglou. Aston Villa are also seriously vying to take the former Leicester City man to Villa Park, and Stan Collymore has backed the Manchester United captain to join Unai Emery's side.
Stan Collymore, in his column for Caught Offside, explained how Harry Maguire will benefit not just as a player but as an individual if he joins the villains ahead of the next campaign.
“I’m not so sure about Maguire and Spurs," Collymore wrote for Caught Offside. "It’s been mooted that Villa are interested, and I think that would be a slightly better move for Maguire."
“Unai Emery is a bit more of an experienced coach at the top level. I think Villa need a central defender every bit as much as Spurs. If [new Tottenham manager] Ange Postecoglou doesn’t start well, the toxicity around the club would be the last thing that Maguire would need, and at Villa there’s the feel-good factor at the moment."
“He can help in the Europa League, and Villa is a progressive, upwardly mobile, happy place. If the worst-case scenario happens, he will go from Manchester United, where he’s been seen as the root cause of all the playing problems, to Tottenham, where if it doesn’t happen in the first 12 games for Postecoglou, there’ll be the 'ENIC out/Levy out' brigade. I just think Villa will be better for him as a player and a human being.”
ManUtdgistlovers as well, in an article, highlighted why Harry Maguire should opt for a move to Birmingham rather than North London.
Regardless of Tottenham Hotspur's £40 million bid, Manchester United will gladly let Harry Maguire join Unai Emery's side.
Although he will miss out on participating in the Champions League, Aston Villa has the Europa League to compliment him, and getting game time will not be a problem given the inclusion of Aston Villa in multiple competitions.
Aston Villa are also ready to meet his £200,000 weekly wage, a move the Sun believes puts Aston Villa in a better position to sign the defender ahead of other competitors.