Well I don’t think we’re that far apart in our opinions and I think that you’re generally right in the context of today (not that what I think really matters of course ;-))
But I again make the point that he wasn’t generally considered to be a bad buy at the point of purchase and he’s still the same player with the same skills that he had on the day he was persuaded to sign his very generous contract.
Maybe the price paid was considered as up to £20m OTT but the purchase was, at that time, seen very much as case of Utd being practical in getting in a defender that was homegrown and widely regarded as a solid international standard centre back. A defender that a number of highly regarded clubs were showing a keen interest in.
I respect your view, I think it’s well thought out but very much coloured by seeing him struggle endlessly in a system that he’s really not designed for. IMO if you put him in a side that gets it’s points by pulling better teams down to their level then he’d come into his own again.
Yes there are many defenders much better suited to the systems of play employed in the upper echelons of the modern game but I contend that if you wanted a hulking great lump to stick into a deep defence to make life miserable for more skilful but less physical opposition players then it would still be worth looking at Harry.
And my view isn’t skewed by some loyalty to Maguire or what have you, I don’t particularly like him as a character, I just come on here to chew the fat but I thought I should shove my oar into these choppy waters because the revisionism in here is excessive . . The poor bloke gets castigated for not having the skills that he never had and wasn’t bought for. He’s not gone backwards, it may look like that at a glance but the truth is that the game’s gone forward.
However, the old game still exists in some clubs in the lower half of the Premier League and what they do is crude but effective.
As an example of how both modern and (ahem) more traditional football abilities can exist in close proximity, look at how Sam Allardyce manages his sides. He’s not a modern manager, there are probably hundreds of more modern managers than Fat Sam. He’s an old school spoiler but he still has a valuable place in the game
Look at the way his teams play. Is it beautiful fluid modern football? No.
Is it crude but effective football that keeps teams in the Premier League and makes many £millions for the owners of those clubs? Yes.
Would Harry be an asset to Fat Sam or a similar pragmatic manager skilled in the dark arts and could he help an otherwise struggling side avoid relegation and save them an absolute bundle? IMO Oh yes ;-)
On this basis I think that the only thing stopping a lower PL side from coughing up £30m+ is the huge salary that he’s on. That’s why I think the most likely outcome will be a loan with his wages subsidised by his parent club.
Oh, and I think that he’ll look a much better player when he’s allowed to play his kind of game again too.
PS. I’m a newby and my post count is done for the day so I’m off, but I’ve really enjoyed our little discussion. You’ve made me think through and clarify some long held opinions . . and, as I said earlier, I’m only a guesser and on here to chew the fat with good folk like yourself.
hope you'll get promoted quickly.