Harry Maguire has done what Manchester United legend asked as Erik ten Hag strips captaincy

Manchester United will have a new captain heading into the 2023/24 season after Erik ten Hag informed Harry Maguire that he will no longer be the club captain.

In a full statement made on Sunday afternoon, Harry Maguire explained the decision made by Erik ten Hag and his subsequent reaction, with Manchester United likely to elect Bruno Fernandes as his replacement.

Speaking last week on the captaincy, former United striker Louis Saha said Maguire should understand the decision.

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“I believe it would have been harsh of Erik ten Hag to have stripped Harry Maguire of the captaincy during the season, but it’s a new era and I believe Harry will understand the decision because it makes sense to give the captaincy to a player that inspires, has the confidence of the manager and that starts almost every game,” Saha told BetFred.

“It would also be smart to have a captain that doesn’t attract so much attention from the media too,”

“One thing about Harry is that he’s not lost his confidence in himself, which is good. You can see that he remains very professional, he’s focused, he can deal with a lot of criticism and he’s shown that he’s strong mentally.

“These are the traits that got him the captaincy at Manchester United. Only Harry knows what he wants to do in his career, but I believe the logical step for him is to look for a club that respects him, respects his status and is going to give him the chance to play his way into England’s starting XI at Euro 2024.”

And this is exactly what Maguire has done. In his statement, he said: “Whilst I’m personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt.”

Maguire further went on to say that he wishes “every success” to whoever becomes the next captain and that he thanks those who supported him throughout his journey of having the armband.