The Man Utd youngster who could force Harry Maguire transfer decision

As Manchester United continue to focus their attention on the pursuit of Mason Mount and a top-quality striker, there's less certainty the club will be able to purchase a new centre-back this summer.

Erik ten Hag outlined before the window opened that recruiting a replacement for Anthony Martial was key, although the preferred target of Harry Kane is looking increasingly unlikely. Mount’s acquisition has also emerged among the key priorities, one of two midfielders the United manager hopes to sign.

Originally, bringing in another defender this window felt almost inevitable, but with David de Gea now expected to depart, the arrival of a new goalkeeper may have to shift up the list of priorities. United also don’t have the deepest pockets this summer due to Financial Fair Play restrictions from overspending last year, while the uncertainty surrounding the ownership situation is bleeding into transfer plans.

It means the signing of a centre-back looks less likely, while reports suggest Bayern Munich are set to wrap up a deal for Kim Min-jae, who had been identified as a possible summer transfer for United. That, in turn, raises questions about Harry Maguire’s future. Ten Hag is willing to let the United skipper leave this summer, yet an inability to sign a replacement could scupper those plans.

Eric Bailly will be allowed to depart Old Trafford in the window, while Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe have already left. It means Ten Hag has four senior centre-backs available: Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Maguire.

Yet a fifth option emerged over the season, with Luke Shaw impressing in that role and starting ahead of Maguire on several occasions. The ex-Southampton man was trusted at the heart of defence as United beat Manchester City 2-1 in January, in the trip to Nou Camp a few weeks later and for the FA Cup semi-final against Brighton & Hove Albion.

“I am really happy with his development,” Ten Hag said about Shaw in January. “It is huge as a centre-half or left-back - he is a great player or great person for the dressing room.”

But with Shaw at centre-back, it meant Tyrell Malacia was the only natural alternative on the left, although Diogo Dalot did operate in that role a few times during the latter stages of the campaign. But ManchesterWorld understands that youngster Alvaro Fernandez will be assessed in pre-season as a possible first-team option going into the new campaign.

The 20-year-old impressed on loan at Preston North End this season and made 42 appearances for the Lilywhites, while he claimed United’s Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year award the year before. While Fernandez was unsure of his future in April, it appears likely he will be given the opportunity to impress Ten Hag in pre-season, and could play a role in the senior set-up in 2023/24.

Conversely, that could allow Maguire to depart without the Red Devils needing to find a natural replacement. In such a scenario, if Shaw were considered as a centre-back option, it would leave Ten Hag with eight defenders ahead of the new campaign - four full-backs and four centre-back - the same number he utilised during his maiden term at Old Trafford.

United’s tricky situation in the transfer market means the club may have to take a shrewd approach to transfers, and the possibility of selling Maguire and reinvesting the funds into other areas of the squad is appealing. Much of that could depend on Fernandez’s performances in pre-season, as Ten Hag begins to reconstruct his squad ahead of the new campaign.