Manchester United's latest triumph over Reading in the FA Cup fourth round saw club captain Harry Maguire make a rare outing from the start, with the England international having fallen way down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag this season.

Although the 29-year-old produced a strong showing against the Championship outfit - winning five of his six duels and enjoying a 90% pass accuracy rate - it appears a tall order for the former Leicester City man to be able to gain a regular role in the side ahead of usual starters, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

With compatriot Luke Shaw having even been favoured in a centre-back berth on occasion this term, it has laid bare Maguire's continued decline at Old Trafford of late, with the £190k-per-week brute having notably proven a "liability" at times for the Red Devils, as per journalist Kevin Palmer.

The defender's "lack of pace", in particular, has been a "massive issue" under Ten Hag, in the words of New York Times journalist, Tariq Panja, with that sluggishness reportedly a factor in the former Ajax boss wanting to move his skipper on at the end of the season.

United could well hasten that exit of the one-time Hull City man by securing a new central defender in the near future, with reports in Italy - via TEAMtalk - only recently claiming that the top-four hopefuls have made an approach to sign Inter Milan rock, Stefan de Vrij.

The Netherlands international is currently able to sign a pre-contract agreement with potential suitors as he has just six months remaining on his existing deal, with the 30-year-old seemingly set to decide his future next month, ahead of a summer switch - as per the report.

Although the suggestion is that the Red Devils will face competition from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, among others, for the 6 foot 3 star's signature, the hope will be that Ten Hag can use his Dutch connections in order to tempt his compatriot into making the move to the Theatre of Dreams.

The former Lazio man - who has been described as a "monster" by ex-teammate Mauricio - could well prove to be the Maguire upgrade that the Premier League giants are craving, having shone in Italy of late.

That is illustrated by the fact that De Vrij has averaged an impressive 1.2 tackles and 2.0 interceptions from his 13 Serie A outings so far this season - 12 of which have come from the start - while Maguire only averages 0.5 and 0.9 for those same two metrics, respectively, from his eight league outings.

The Dutchman also appears to provide a more commanding, physical presence as he ranks in the top 20% among those in his position across Europe for aerial duels won, while the current United man ranks in just the top 27% in that regard.

Equally, while the Englishman has at times been susceptible to squandering possession - as he ranks in just the top 29% for pass completion - the Inter maestro appears far more accomplished with the ball at his feet, as he ranks in the top 16% for that same metric.

De Vrij also offers the benefit of having already secured major honours in his career to date - including claiming a Scudetto triumph under Antonio Conte in 2021 - with such experience likely to be vital in Ten Hag's push for silverware in the coming years.

As such, if Maguire is to be shipped off to pastures new come the summer, turning to the San Siro machine as his replacement could well prove something of a masterstroke.