Harry Maguire "isn't worth a quarter" of the 80 million pounds Manchester United paid for him, and should start the season on the bench.
Strong words to kick off the new season of TVNZ FC from pundit Victor Waters, who went a bit further than others have in questioning whether Maguire, now the most expensive defender in history, is worth the fee.
Fellow panelist Simon Plumb took a more moderate approach, agreeing that Maguire is no Virgil van Dijk but arguing he's a solid centre back and that his transfer cost simply reflects the market.
There was though agreement on the show, hosted this week by Jack Tame, that it will take more than Eden Hazard to turn things around at Real Madrid, who have followed a disappointing 2018-19 season with a horror pre-season.
And there was plenty of praise for the spectacular rise of Kiwi Sarpreet Singh who has catapulted from the Phoenix to the fringe of the Bayern Munich first team squad over the northern summer.
* TVNZ FC is back every Wednesday on 1 NEWS Now, Facebook and Youtube, and as a podcast in all the usual places.
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