Ex-Man United forward tells Harry Maguire to accept new role or leave Old Trafford

Ex-Manchester United striker Louis Saha has explained his belief that current club captain Harry Maguire should understand the decision to elect a new captain.

Louis Saha is one of the most famed strikers in Manchester United‘s long and decorated history, playing 124 times for the club.

In his stint at Old Trafford, Saha scored 42 goals and provided a further 17 assists, winning two Premier League titles, as well as one Champions League trophy and a League Cup.

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Saha knows a thing or two about winning, having been part of the 2008 double-winning side under Sir Alex Ferguson, and believes that although Erik ten Hag was right not to strip Harry Maguire of the captain’s armband mid-season, it may be the correct move to so do.

“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,” he continued.

“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.”