Fingers were pointed in all directions during Manchester United’s horrid 2021/22 season.
A lot were aimed at Harry Maguire amid an awful season for the defender. It led to some fans calling for him to lose the captaincy.
Erik ten Hag is reportedly due to make a decision on the responsibility in the coming weeks with claims that he will speak to players individually beforehand. Ultimately, that decision will lie with him, but that is not to say he will not take advice from those around him.
READ MORE: Former Manchester United defender urges Harry Maguire to give up captaincy
Steve McClaren has returned to the club as the Dutchman’s No.2 and will likely be consulted before the decision is announced. The former England boss has already outlined what exemplary leadership looks like in the form of Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.
In 2002, Southgate was handed the armband by McClaren when he was managing at Middlesbrough, just a year after he had signed from Aston Villa. Speaking to Sky Sports last summer ahead of England’s Euro 2020 semi-final with Denmark, he outlined Southgate's leadership qualities during his tenure at the Riverside.
"What he did at Middlesbrough and what he is doing now with England is garnering team spirit,” he said. "We had a lot of foreigners at Middlesbrough and they would all have had their cliques.
"What he did would sit at a different table every mealtime, talk to everybody, he was the glue. He brought everybody together and knew that everybody had to be [together].”
Ten Hag’s first task is to repair the fractured United dressing room and choosing the right man to lead the squad will be an important step. He can look at McClaren’s comments to discern which player he can entrust to help in restoring harmony.
If Maguire does indeed hold onto the role, then he can use his England manager’s exemplary behaviour as guidance on how to galvanise his teammates in a fresh start.
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