Manchester United finally confirm transfer deal for 26-year-old star

Manchester United have finally announced the signing of defender Harry Maguire from Leicester City. A deal for the England international was agreed during the backend of the previous week, but a delay in the completion of the remaining formalities meant that the move was only made official this afternoon.

“I am delighted to have signed for this great club. From my conversations with the manager, I am excited about the vision and plans he has for the team. It’s clear to see that Ole is building a team to win trophies,” he told the club’s official website.

The arrival of Maguire is certain to provide a boost at the heart of the defence, where the Red Devils struggled for consistency during the course of the 2018/19 campaign. Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has regularly talked about the prospect of building a team for future success and he may have finally found a defensive combination, which could serve for the long-term with the current average age of just 24.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw are certainly the first-choices when it comes to the right-back and left-back positions respectively and judging by the performances in recent campaigns, Victor Lindelof should command the central defensive role alongside Maguire in a four-man backline.

The Red Devils start their Premier League season with a home clash against Chelsea on August 11 and it will be interesting to see whether Maguire makes the starting lineup for the encounter.

The 26-year-old has taken part for Leicester City during most of the pre-season, but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may want to ease him into the system after a few training sessions with his new teammates.

Manchester United completed their recent pre-season with the perfect record of six wins from six matches and Solskjaer will be aiming for a strong performance from his players against Frank Lampard’s side on Sunday.