On Sunday, Harry Maguire took to social media to inform everyone that he had a conversation with Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag and was told he is being removed as Manchester United’s captain.
The announcement
The English defender took to social media to inform that during the discussion with the manager, he was informed by Erik Ten Hag that he was planning to change the captain of the club and explained the reasons behind it.
Maguire emphasised that despite being extremely disappointed, he would continue giving his all whenever he wore the shirt. He also thanked the Manchester United fans for all their brilliant support while he was wearing the captain’s armband.
He added that it’s been a huge privilege to lead Manchester United, one of the proudest moments of his career and one of the greatest honours in club football. He also extended his thanks to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, under whose managerial leadership Maguire was given the responsibility.
Meanwhile, in an official statement, Manchester United thanked Harry Maguire for his contribution as captain over the last three seasons. The club also stated that the manager would announce the new captain after discussing it with the players.
Last season, when Maguire sat on the bench, Bruno Fernandes wore the armband. Thus, Bruno is currently the favourite to take over from Maguire permanently.
Captaincy given too soon?
When in 2020, then Man Utd captain Ashley Young left for Inter Milan, the red devils needed a new leader. At that time, Harry Maguire was given the responsibility just six months after arriving at Old Trafford as the world’s most expensive defender from Leicester City.
There was a lot of criticism of the United management for making Maguire a captain straightaway at the club and overlooking players like David De Gea, who were associated with the club for years.
However, Manchester United defended the move by saying he was at the core of the club’s upcoming program and future. This was true until Erik Ten Hag’s arrival as the club manager last year.
Harry Maguire was not the first-choice centre-back for Erik Ten Hag. Thus, he was replaced by Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, who started most games last year, and Maguire was left to be on the bench.
This saga left a big question mark on his status as captain of the club and his long-term future at the club. Now that Erik Ten Hag has informed Maguire that he is no longer the captain, reports are flying in on his possible future.
What’s the future?
According to reports, Manchester United are ready to offload him even though it will be a financial loss for the red devils, who got him for nearly £100 million. Multiple clubs, namely West Ham and Aston Villa, have shown interest in acquiring Maguire, but Maguire has shown no interest in leaving the club despite falling out of favour.
Maguire is currently on a break after being given extra time off to recover from the international matches he played in June. Due to this, he missed Manchester United’s first pre-season game against Leeds United last week.
However, he is expected to return to play a friendly couple of days on 19th July against Lyon. However, it will be interesting to see whether he joins the club when they leave for their pre-season U.S. tour later this week.