2 years ago
Cristiano Ronaldo will be the captain of Erik ten Hag's team next season, according to reports.
Manchester United has suffered yet another dismal season after starting the season with high hopes of fighting for the Premier League title. That didn't turn out to be the case.
Instead, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired, Ralf Rangnick hasn't improved, practically every player has underperformed, and fan satisfaction has plunged even lower. The one ray of light for next season comes from the fact that United did manage to get their next permanent manager in place before the end of the current campaign.Last month, it was reported that Ten Hag would take over at Old Trafford in the summer after the Dutchman signed a three-year contract with the option of a further year. United paid £1.75 million to Ajax to get him out of his contract.
The Dutchman will have his job cut out for him if he is to stop United's slide and get them back in contention for silverware, as the club's trophy drought has now lasted five years. As soon as he walks through the door, Ten Hag will be faced with a slew of difficult decisions, one of the most significant of which is the captaincy.Harry Maguire has been United captain since January 2020, just a few months after his big-money transfer from Leicester, when he was handed the armband after Ashley Young left for Inter. The centre-back has battled to live up to his high price tag, and this season has been particularly difficult.
Erik ten Hag was photographed on the bench during Ajax's most recent triumph on Saturday.
Erik ten Hag was photographed on the bench during Ajax's most recent triumph on Saturday.
Maguire has received a lot of flak for his performances and leadership abilities, prompting calls for him to be relieved of the captaincy so he can focus on improving his own game. Ten Hag will have to make a decision.United supporters are unanimous in their belief that the new manager should choose a new captain. "Who should be the Manchester United captain next season?" MEN Sport questioned fans.
Only 3% of the 8,242 voters said Maguire should keep the armband for the upcoming campaign in 2022/23. However, it was a tight call between who they wanted to see chosen captain, with Ronaldo narrowly defeating David de Gea with 47% of the vote to 40% for David de Gea.Both are United's most experienced players, having previously captained the team on the pitch. Ronaldo has a lot of leadership experience because he is the captain of the Portugal national team. The only problem is that his future remains uncertain following United's failure to qualify for the Champions League.
The remaining 10% of voters chose 'other,' with suggestions including Bruno Fernandes, Raphael Varane, and a new signing.
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