New Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has refused to restore Tyrone Mings as captain, despite Steven Gerrard's decision to strip him of the armband being seen as one of his biggest mistakes.
Gerrard opted to take the captaincy off the defender and give it to John McGinn over the summer. But the decision proved to be disastrous, with McGinn enduring a downturn in form and Villa also struggling for wins.
Villa's poor start to the campaign ultimately saw Gerrard sacked as manager, with Emery coming in from Villarreal to replace him. The Spaniard will take charge of his first game this weekend when Villa face Manchester United.
But despite Gerrard's decision to strip Mings of the captaincy backfiring, Emery will not restore him to the role. However, he did warn his new squad that they have badly underperformed so far this season.
"I am not going to change what they had here. I want to check and test. I want to know the team and the players and then I will decide but not now," Emery said when asked if he would consider changing skipper.
"I think our players now they are underperforming and my idea first is to try and help them. To have possibilities to improve a bit in the beginning their confidence, trust in each player and to play together and create more inside.
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"To show everybody our best wishes to improve and to help the team. My dream is to win a trophy with Aston Villa. It's my challenge. My second dream is to play with Aston Villa in Europe.
"But now, we have to start thinking only the next match because we are not in good position in the table now. Each match is going to give us information about the players and I want to test and check the individuals and collective. My only focus is on Sunday against Manchester United."
When Gerrard made the change of captain, he hoped it would allow Mings to improve his individual performances. That has not happened though, with Mings and Villa taking a step back since the summer.
"John has demonstrated that he is ready to take on the captaincy through his performances on the pitch combined with his attitude and application in training. He is a popular member of the dressing room who sets high standards and expectations of himself," Gerrard said in July.
"Naturally, I have had to have a discussion with Tyrone Mings and have explained my reasons for making this decision. More importantly, I believe that not having the responsibility of the captaincy will allow Tyrone to focus more on his own game which can only benefit him and the team."
Emery's new side will host the Red Devils on Sunday, with Villa sitting just two places above the relegation zone. They have won only three times in the Premier League this term, losing seven games in total.
