‘Think about it’ – Didi Hamann raises unexpected centre-back suggestion for Liverpool to target | OneFootball

Didi Hamann has claimed that Liverpool should seek to resolve their central defensive woes with a surprise move for Harry Maguire.

The Reds will have one just senior centre-back for tonight’s Champions League clash against Qarabag, with Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez both injured and Ibrahima Konate on compassionate leave after the death of his father.

It means that Wataru Endo is likely to be pressed into action in an unfamiliar position alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, and the prospect of a new addition in this transfer window seems increasingly remote with just five days remaining until the deadline.

As per The Athletic, Maguire is into the final six months of his contract at Old Trafford, and with United chiefs not yet holding ‘substantive talks’ over the defender’s future, his agent has reportedly been in contact with clubs from Italy and Turkey.

Hamann tells Liverpool to consider signing Maguire

Hamann echoes the claims of many Liverpool fans by calling for greater strength in depth defensively, although his suggestion of the England international as a potential solution was rather more unexpected.

He told CasinoBeats: “You’ve got to give it to Harry Maguire because he got so much stick in the last few years and he always comes back. If he’s available on a free then obviously have to think about it, because I think what Liverpool need is more depth at the back.

“Joe Gomez has been around the squad for a long time but he’s never really been a starter for the team. Conor Bradley is out now through injury. We’ll have to see how it affects him when he comes back.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

No chance of Maguire going to Liverpool

Respectfully, there is no chance of Maguire ever signing for Liverpool, even with Arne Slot’s centre-back options pillaged to such a worrying degree.

Such is the rivalry between the two northwestern clubs that playing for both is incredibly rare, and going directly from one to the other is even more improbable. Only 10 players in history have featured for both sides, and nobody has transferred directly between the two rivals since Phil Chisnall in 1964 (GOAL).

Also, with the Man United defender turning 33 in the next few weeks and commanding wages of £190,000 per week (Capology), he’s well outside the age profile of a typical FSG signing; and barring exceptional cases, Anfield chiefs are notoriously reluctant to commit big paycheques to players approaching the twilight of their careers.

Hamann is right in one thing – Maguire has risen above the vicious abuse which had been directed at him earlier in his career to become a vital presence for the Red Devils, popping up with late winning goals on a surprisingly regular basis, as Liverpool know all too well from earlier this season.

There’s no disputing that the Reds could badly do with reinforcing their centre-back options at the earliest opportunity, but we can safely assume that the England international won’t be one of the names sought by Richard Hughes for a move to the red half of Merseyside.