Manchester United have made Leicester City defender Harry Maguire their top defensive this summer, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to strengthen his squad ahead of next season.
United have already made a bid of £70million but the Foxes are holding out for a world-record fee for a defender that would eclipse the sum Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018.
Solskjaer is targeting Maguire in the hope that he can make the same impact at Old Trafford that Van Dijk did at Liverpool, bringing them closer to their rivals in 2019/20.
But, how does the present day Maguire compare with Virgil van Dijk when he was at Southampton?
We used Football Manager to find out.
Present day Harry Maguire vs 2017/18 Virgil van Djk
Current Ability: 147/200 vs 159/200
Potential Ability: 153/200 vs 167/200
Age: 26 vs 26
Van Dijk was actually the same age as Maguire is now, when he made the move to Liverpool, so it's interesting to see how the two compare at the same age.
We used Football Manager, both the 2018 and 2019 version, to compare the two players and see who has the best attributes to play as a 'Ball Playing Defender', according to the game.
Maguire's attributes are on the left, with 2017/18 Van Dijk's on the right.
Here's how they compare.
Technical attributes
First Touch: 12/14
Heading: 17/18
Marking: 15/13
Passing: 14/14
Tackling: 16/15
Technique: 13/13
Present day Harry Maguire: 87
2017/18 Virgil van Dijk: 87
Football Manager suggests that in terms of technical ability, Maguire and 2017/28 Van Dijk are evenly matched.
Van Dijk's first touch and heading were better, but Maguire is better at marking and tackling, according to the game.
Mental attributes
Aggression: 15/17
Anticipation: 14/14
Bravery: 16/14
Composure: 15/15
Concentration: 12/11
Decisions: 13/11
Positioning: 15/15
Vision: 13/12
Present day Harry Maguire: 113
2017/18 Virgil van Dijk: 109
In terms of mental attributes, Football Manager suggests that Maguire is actually more developed than Virgil van Dijk was at the same age, with the English defender having better bravery, concentration, decisions and vision.
Physical attributes
Jumping Reach: 15/18
Pace: 12/16
Strength: 17/19
Present day Harry Maguire: 44
2017/18 Virgil van Dijk: 53
Virgil van Dijk has the upper hand physically over Maguire, according to Football Manager, with Dutchman having superior strength, jumping reach and pace.
Overall
Present day Harry Maguire: 244
2017/18 Virgil van Dijk: 259
Overall, Van Dijk was the better player at the same age, with a higher overall ability.
However, in terms of key attributes for their position, there is not much difference between the two, with the main difference being their physical attributes, in terms of speed and jumping reach.
Using the evidence provided by Football Manager, there is no reason Harry Maguire can't have the same impact at Manchester United as Virgil Van Dijk had at Liverpool, should they sign the 26-year-old this summer.
