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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Richard Fay

Erik ten Hag can repeat Pep Guardiola trick to solve Manchester United captaincy dilemma

Erik ten Hag has got most of his big decisions right at Manchester United, and this summer he will have another to make as he continues the rebuild of his squad.

The Dutchman quickly established his authority at United after a slightly worrying start. Ten Hag was learning on the job after the leap from Ajax to Old Trafford, with his only two mistakes possibly being how he catered for Cristiano Ronaldo's ego and showed loyalty to Harry Maguire when he owed him nothing.

It was an opportunity for clean breaks, yet the new manager, understandably, was reluctant to make too many ruthless decisions. He's certainly earned every right to make them this summer.

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Ronaldo is gone, but Maguire remains the club captain. The final few months of the season already seem like a countdown before he leaves, and they move on without him.

Ten Hag has handled a tricky situation carefully, giving the 30-year-old a sense of meaning through his cameo roles this season, and showing a touch of class to let him come in the final minutes of the Carabao Cup final win.

Maguire is often ridiculed as a figure of fun, but he has been a professional servant to the club and deserved a moment of success to recognise his efforts before he is most likely moved on at the end of the campaign.

The next task will be for Ten Hag to determine who is best suited to wear the armband going forward, and this international break has further emphasised how many viable options he has.

Bruno Fernandes looks to be the leading candidate to become the next permanent captain, not only through his leadership qualities but also the fact he has been an ever-present this season and is still the first name on the team sheet.

Even despite his frustrations and short-tempered outbursts, he is someone who Ten Hag clearly trusts, and is a player who cares so deeply for the greater good of the team.

It might not fall solely down to Fernandes though, and Ten Hag could help resolve the captaincy issue by taking a leaf out of Pep Guardiola's book.

When Guardiola rotates his squad, Man City have a leadership group in the dressing room that allows them to maintain some consistency.

United haven't previously had the depth of leaders to take this approach themselves, but it is testament to the squad that Ten Hag has established that he could now consider it himself.

As well as the obvious candidates in both Fernandes and Maguire, if he were to stay, the United manager also has three players in his senior squad who are captains of their respective national teams.

Casemiro was recently appointed Brazil captain and has proven himself to be the perfect role model for this new-look United side, while Victor Lindelof wears the armband for Sweden and Marcel Sabitzer does for Austria.

Lindelof and Sabitzer are not always guaranteed to play, and neither has a certain future beyond this summer, though they are both assets to the team and bring valuable experience to the squad.

David de Gea is another contender given how long he has been at the club and how much respect he draws from teammates, and Raphael Varane is a vastly experienced serial winner.

Even looking ahead, there are further candidates in the shape of the passionate Lisandro Martinez, while a potential summer move for England and Tottenham captain Harry Kane would also strengthen this group of leaders.

So while the talk of United's next captain might focus on the individuals, Ten Hag could in fact rely on a collective effort to lead his team forward as part of their next rebuild.

United might not only have their next captain; they might have their next captains.

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