As the rest of the Manchester United squad file back into Carrington this week, Erik ten Hag will be starting to think about one of his first big decisions as the club’s new manager.
United’s internationals are back in pre-season training from tomorrow and they will fly to Thailand on Friday to begin a 16-day summer tour, taking in four fixtures in Bangkok, Melbourne and Perth.
By the end of that trip, Ten Hag might have a better idea of who he wants to captain his United. For now, it’s presumed Harry Maguire remains the incumbent and it can be hard to read too much into who has the armband in friendlies, given the churn of players during the 90 minutes.
READ MORE: The two things Ten Hag has done in training this week
The subject of captaincy has been an intensely debated one at United for a little while now, and not just outside the club. Ten Hag was asked about it in his first press conference and certainly offered no guarantees to Maguire.
“Next season is a different season, but he did a great job, he is a great player, he already achieved a lot with his contribution to Manchester United. I’m looking forward to working with him,” he said.
There’s a school of thought Maguire might be best relinquishing the captaincy to focus on getting his form back. On the basis of last season’s performances, his place in the side is far from assured.
That’s a delicate subject for a new manager to handle, however, and will be a major test of Ten Hag’s man-management skills. Those who followed his career closely in Holland talk of an astute coach and tactician, but someone whose strengths are not necessarily in his people skills.
It may be Ten Hag tries to make the captaincy less of an issue and it is the case that it’s more of a focus in the English game than it is abroad when the armband often goes the way of the most experienced player.
That would have made Cristiano Ronaldo a realistic option and he has led Portugal in more than 130 games, despite limited captaincy experience in the club game. The sudden uncertainty over his future probably makes it a non-starter, however, and it’s one of several issues Ten Hag has to balance when making the decision.
Sticking with Maguire would be a risk and the 29-year-old might face greater competition for his place this season after United’s £37million bid for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez. The left-footed centre-back could bring balance to the defence and force Maguire into competition with Raphael Varane.
Maguire missed games last season and when he was absent the armband generally went to Bruno Fernandes, whose leadership wasn’t really on view in a failing team. The creative midfielder has a desperate will to win, but his frustration can boil over when things go wrong and on the pitch, he was visibly critical of teammates and confrontational with referees.
Fernandes captained United 11 times last season and has the experience to lead, but has to show he has the personality to fit into Ten Hag’s plans as well. The potential free transfer arrival of Christian Eriksen will give him more competition for his place.
In every possible direction for Ten Hag to turn at the moment, when it comes to the captaincy, there are risks inherent. That’s why a quick decision is unlikely and the next few weeks of pre-season training and, especially, the tour could essentially be an audition.
The players will spend a lot of time together in Thailand and Australia and it could be an opportunity for Ten Hag and his staff to assess the dynamic before settling on an on-field leader.
READ NEXT:
