EPL: Why it’s unfair to compare Man Utd’s Maguire with Van Dijk – Rio Ferdinand

Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand, has insisted that it’s unfair to compare the club’s defender, Harry Maguire with Liverpool star, Virgil Van Dijk.


Maguire became the world’s most expensive defender ahead of Van Dijk after his £80million switch from Leicester City to Man United in the summer.

Van Dijk is now the world’s second most expensive defender after he moved to Liverpool from Southampton for £75million in January 2018.

But Ferdinand now believes that Van Dijk’s success at Liverpool was made easier by the higher quality within Jurgen Klopp’s men, while Maguire still needs time to make impact at Man United since the Red Devils has other areas which need reinforcement.

“Inevitably Maguire is going to be judged against someone like Virgil van Dijk because he has gone for more money,” Ferdinand told Express Sport.

“He’ll be judged against what he’s done and they’ve now won the Champions League.

“But I think it’s an unfair comparison because what Virgil came in to was a team that was closer to the top, closer to winning and a lot of the jigsaw was already pieced together.

“It can be daunting, it’s big pressure and the price tag can play on your mind,” he added.

“I remember when it happened to me, none of my mates spoke about the price, it was more about the players I was going to playing with.

“I think the big difference is that I went into a changing room that was full of winners, consistent winners.

“It is not an easier scenario for Maguire but a different pressure. I was expected to come in and know how to win, to come in and win straight away.

“I was expected to come straight in and hit the top level because that’s where they were playing at.

“Now, he has come into a team that, confidence-wise and position-wise is at a lower level. There’s a lot of ground to make up and that’s a pressure in itself.”