How Man Utd should replace Harry Maguire: Benjamin Pavard, Jean-Clair Todibo, Jonny Evans or no one at all?

France international Benjamin Pavard would not be a direct replacement for Maguire as he plays predominantly at right-back, although he has also featured on the right of a back three for Bayern Munich in recent seasons.

A World Cup and Champions League winner, Pavard has the experience and mentality to play for United. He would be a versatile option and would boost the squad overall, and as he has only one year left on his contract with Bayern, he will not command a huge fee, with reports suggesting he is worth around €30m (£26m/$33m).

However, he might be wary about giving up a regular place in Bayern's starting XI to leap into unknown territory at United. The Red Devils already have two solid right-backs in Diogo Dalot, who recently signed a long-term contract, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who last season produced some of the best performances of his United career to re-establish himself as the club's first-choice right-back.

Jean-Clair Todibo left a trail of hype in his wake when he made his Ligue 1 debut for Toulouse, and after just 10 appearances he had been snapped up by Barcelona in January 2019. In hindsight, that move came far too early in his career as he rarely featured for the Catalans.

One year later, Todibo was loaned out to Schalke and then Benfica, although he never played a league game for the Lisbon giants, and he only started to settle again back in France with Nice, playing practically every Ligue 1 game since moving there in 2021.

Todibo, 23, would cost United around €30m (£26m/$33m) and the Red Devils have reportedly made enquiries about his availability.

Marc Guehi only missed one match all season for Crystal Palace and became the youngest captain in the Premier League after he was handed the armband at the age of 22. He has shown leadership qualities and maturity as well as bags of quality on the ball. In other words, he would be an excellent signing for United, who expressed their interest in him at the start of the summer.

The main obstacle to a potential move to Old Trafford is that Palace would likely ask for a minimum transfer fee of £50m, which would be too high for United for a squad player, especially after another expensive summer transfer window.

Burkina Faso international Edmond Tapsoba has been one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga in the last three seasons, and is renowned for his ball-playing abilities, which would see him fit right into Ten Hag's side.

The 24-year-old could be signed with the money United are set to receive for Maguire as he should be available for less than £30m (£38m), and he could develop into an eventual successor for Varane, who will turn 31 later this season and has a tendency to pick up small injuries.

Jonny Evans, who re-joined United on a very short-term contract over the summer so he could do his pre-season training with the club, would not be the most glamorous of signings. But if United could agree a one-year deal with him, he would be a solid, short-term and low-cost replacement for Maguire, who only started eight league games for United last season.

The Northern Ireland international is 35 but is still in good physical condition and was able to start 12 league matches last season for Leicester City. Having come through the club's academy two decades ago and spending eight years in the first team, coinciding with one of United's most glorious eras, Evans could also be a valuable presence in the dressing room.

An alternative option is for United to see Maguire's sale as a cash injection for the future and not sign anyone this summer. As well as Varane and Martinez they have a reliable back-up centre-back in Lindelof, while they can also make use of Luke Shaw, who delivered a number of impressive performances in the heart of defence last season, with either Dalot or Tyrell Malacia playing at left-back in his place.

And in emergencies they could always play Casemiro at centre-back for the occasional game or use Wan-Bissaka there. And for matches in the Carabao Cup and early rounds of the FA Cup, they could promote one of their academy prospects or, assuming they don't go out on loan, make use of Alvaro Fernandez or Teden Mengi.

Whilst it might be tempting to see if they could get away with keeping Evans or not signing a defender, United do need to strengthen in defence and cover Maguire's departure if they want to challenge for the title or go deep in the other competitions.

Manchester City have six centre-backs at the moment, so United cannot afford to start the season with just three. Equally, they do not want to sign a defender just for the sake of it on a long contract who is not up to the task and be left with another Eric Bailly or Marcos Rojo.

However, United have a vast scouting network and should be able to sign a capable defender for under £30m who is prepared to wait his turn and be patient. Last summer, City pulled off a real coup by signing Manuel Akanji for only £15m ($19m) and the Swiss was one of the best defenders in the league in his debut campaign.

They just need to make sure they sign a player who will be able to adapt to Ten Hag's style of play, and that's why they should prioritise a ball-playing defender who will be comfortable outside his area and working in tandem with Andre Onana, who will demand a lot of his team-mates.

That is why they should be looking to sign either Tapsoba or Todibo, and should be wary of recruiting Pavard for a vacant centre-back role.