Harry Maguire has been warned the Manchester United captaincy will not save him from the drop if he fails to perform.
New United boss Erik ten Hag has retained Maguire as skipper, despite the England defender's woeful form last season, which saw him booed by England fans at Wembley. Ten Hag has signed Lisandro Martinez from Ajax to strengthen his defence, with Maguire, 29, left in no doubt he must perform to keep his place – even if he still has the armband.
“I always see the captaincy as an issue that I dictate,” said ten Hag. “The team building for me is an important point and I always talk about a group of leaders. The captain is a really important one and I’m happy with him.
“Harry has proved it in the past, but he has also to prove it in the present and in the future. I will support him everywhere I can. In the end, he has to do it by himself, and he has the qualities to do it. He's shown it so often in the past.
“He's played 60 times for England. Harry is really impressive and I expect a lot from him. But there is also internal competition and that is what a club like United needs. You cannot win with 11 players.
“We need a squad, especially this season with so many games. We have the Europa League, the Premier League and the World Cup so we need a full squad with high-quality players not quantity.”
