New Perth Glory coach Alen Stajcic says taking the captaincy off Mustafa Amini will allow the former Socceroo to concentrate on his recovery from injury.
Glory unveiled star striker Adam Taggart and English defender Mark Beevers as Perth's first ever co-captains during the club's season launch on Wednesday.
It means Amini's stint as skipper lasted just one campaign.
The 30-year-old has missed most of the pre-season with a long-term back injury, and there's no fixed time line on his return.
At a minimum, Amini will miss the early rounds of the season, which kicks off for Perth at home to Newcastle on October 22.
Stajcic, who took over as coach after Ruben Zadkovich's shock exit in June, was full of praise for Amini, but said it was the right decision to hand the captaincy to Taggart and Beevers.
"Musty has been out the whole pre-season, so I don't think he needs that added pressure of being the captain," Stajcic said.
"He's rehabbing at the moment and there's a lot on his plate getting back to full fitness.
"That's his priority at the moment. He's such an important player for the team."
Taggart scored five goals from 13 games last season, while Beevers was a rock in defence during his 24 appearances in his maiden campaign for the club.
Stajcic said Taggart and Beevers elevated themselves above the group during interviews to find the next skipper.
"Tags in particular spoke passionately about the city and his desire to connect the team to the city and bring back that fan engagement and bring back that love for the team," Stajcic said.
"That was inspirational for me to hear coming from a player.
"And Beevers is someone who has played over 500 senior games in England and Australia now, and he's well liked among the team and extremely approachable for the players."
Glory have been in a state of flux since the conclusion of last season.
Zadkovich quit his post after just over a year in charge, while owner Tony Sage handed back the club's licence in July amidst ongoing financial woes.
The club is still without an owner, but a deal could be finalised in the coming weeks.
Taggart said there was a lot of optimism about what the team can achieve under Stajcic this season, despite the ownership upheaval.
"I think it's the first time in a long time that there's a lot of belief around the place," Taggart said.
"The biggest contributor to that was probably getting Alen on board as the head coach.
"You could see from day one the shift in the energy and the shift in the way things are being done around here."
