Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is giving serious consideration to dropping captain Harry Maguire for the visit of Liverpool on Monday.
Maguire started in both of United's defeats to Brighton and Brentford and new centre-back signing Lisandro Martinez was hooked at half-time with United 4-0 down at the Community Stadium.
However, the Manchester Evening News understands Ten Hag is mulling over the prospect of starting the £55.3million Martinez with Raphael Varane, who will almost certainly be recalled.
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Dressing room sources say some United players feel Ten Hag's approach does not suit their skill set and they would favour a more pragmatic approach against Liverpool.
Liverpool inflicted a 5-0 thrashing of United at Old Trafford last season and pummeled them 4-0 at Anfield six months later.
Maguire, 29, was dropped by interim manager Ralf Rangnick for the defeat at Arsenal in April when United lost 3-1 but the England international has retained the captaincy under Ten Hag, despite calls for him to be stripped of the armband.
Ten Hag indicated during United's pre-season tour Maguire and Martinez would be his first-choice partnership at centre-back.
"We bring him in to not strengthen the squad, but the team," Ten Hag said of Martinez. "Is Maguire a first-choice? I think he is.
"He’s proved it in the past but he also has to prove it in the present time and in the future. He has played how many times? Sixty times for England? He is a career that is really impressive and I expect a lot from him.
"But there is also internal competition and that is what a club like Man United needs."
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