Erik ten Hag has gone against the unanimous choice by keeping Harry Maguire on as Manchester United captain.
The Dutchman was always going to make changes at Old Trafford and deciding who wore the armband was going to be a huge call. Maguire has been skipper for the majority of the his time in Manchester, moving to the club in the summer of 2020 for a world-record fee.
However, the captaincy represented something of a power struggle last term as Maguire has to fend off rumoured attempts from Cristiano Ronaldo to prise it away from him. Maguire's form did little to help his cause and some felt taking the responsibility off him may actually be beneficial.
Ten Hag, despite giving no assurances that Maguire would remain captain at his first press conference, has now opted to keep the centre-half as skipper. He said: "Harry Maguire is the captain. I have to get to know all the players, but he's an established captain and he has achieved a lot of success."
Upon his arrival at Old Trafford the new boss said: “I have to repeat: next season is a different season. I think he did a great job, he is a great player. He achieved already a lot. A really good contribution to Manchester United. So I am looking forward to working with him.”
His decision to back Maguire comes despite the dressing room being keen for a change. According to The Sun, Ten Hag was happy to give the armband to the most popular candidate in the dressing room - which was believed to be David de Gea. The Spaniard has been at the club for over a decade and claimed their Player's Player of the Year honour last term in what was a disappointing campaign.
Have Your Say! Who should be the Man Utd captain? Tell us what you think here!
Gary Neville has previously suggested that Ronaldo's arrival upset the dynamics in the dressing room and had an adverse effect on Maguire. He said on the Overlap: "It made Maguire a little bit inferior as captain just naturally – nothing from Ronaldo’s doing this. Just his presence itself on the pitch means everyone’s looking to Cristiano with Harry trying to establish himself as United captain."
Maguire will be looking to lead United under the new regime, aiming to improve on last season's showing. Maguire though is having to watch on as the club continue to pursue a centre-half with Lisandro Martinez currently on their radar. Raphael Varane was signed last summer and it remains to be seen what system Ten Hag chooses to employ at the back.
