Manchester United is a work in progress and, as such, requires many crucial decisions to be made: recruiting, tactics, team selection – and captaincy. Manager Erik Ten Hag will have to pick the next captain because the current one is about to be removed.🚨 Maguire: “I shouldn’t have to prove myself at this level. I have over 50 caps, I’ve played almost 200 times for Manchester United, captaining the club for three years, but I understand that when you’re United captain, you are more scrutinized.” #MUFC 🔴 pic.twitter.com/cEIZdWkiTL— UtdPlug (@UtdPlug) March 25, 2023 Harry Maguire has been made skipper just six months after arriving from Leicester City in an $85 million transfer. At the time, then-manager Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer believed he was making an excellent decision for a player meant to play in the heart of United’s defence for many years. But the cracks in the proverbial wall soon started to show. Maguire’s errors and sub-par performances made him a joke among football fans. And although the majority of his displays were still solid, the pressure and his reputation often hindered his progress. With the new defensive partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane doing so well, it’s looking like Maguire is living on borrowed time at Old Trafford. And when he eventually leaves, there will be a new captain installed. But who?##NAJAVA_MECA_7131989##The most logical option is Bruno Fernandes, who has already worn the armband many times in Maguire’s absence. The Portuguese midfielder enjoys Ten Hag’s confidence both as a player and as a character in the dressing room. He has shown an unsportsmanlike side a few times, but even that didn’t prevent the Dutchman from picking the former Sampdoria and Sporting CP player.There are more candidates, though – and they all have leadership credentials. Casemiro captains Brasil, Marcel Sabitzer and Victor Lindelof also occasionally captain their respective countries. David De Gea is another contender, given how long he has been at the club and how much respect he draws from teammates, and Varane is a vastly experienced serial winner.Casemiro has been confirmed as the new captain of the Brazil national team, while Victor Lindelof and Marcel Sabitzer both captain their sides tonight. This exemplifies the amount of leaders within Erik ten Hag’s squad – a really valuable part of the project. pic.twitter.com/lgEgQtyfpP— Bony (@bonifacejoseph_) March 25, 2023 Ten Hag could use the trick his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola has been using – forming a “captaincy group” where a number of players have equal rights of leading the club. So while the talk of United’s next captain might focus on the individuals, Ten Hag could rely on a collective effort to lead his team forward as part of their next rebuild. Who will be the “official captain” isn’t that important as long as the results keep coming.
