Harry Maguire WILL continue as Man Utd captain next season, confirms Erik ten Hag despite calls for him to be stripped
ERIK TEN HAG has confirmed that Harry Maguire will continue to be Manchester United's captain. Maguire, 29, was skipper last season but his leadership came under fire amid his, and United's, struggles. 3 Boss Erik ten Hag has confirmed Harry Maguire will continue to be Man Utd captainCredit: Rex 3 The centre-back trained with the squad in Bangkok this morningCredit: Reuters 3 Maguire was under scrutiny last season and many called for the armband to be taken from himCredit: Getty Interim manager Ralf Rangnick recommended a player vote to decide the next leader. But new gaffer Ten Hag has confirmed the England international will REMAIN as United's commander. The Dutchman told reporters: "Harry Maguire is the captain. "I have to get to know all the players, but he is an established captain and he has achieved a lot of success." Maguire was handed the armband by Ole Gunnar Solskajer just five months after joining the club in 2019 for £80million. However last season there was a split at the club as to whether he should continue to lead as his form suffered. Former United stars Rio Ferdinand and Paul Parker called for Maguire to be stripped of the captaincy. He was under pressure from club and country and was even booed on an England outing at Wembley against Ivory Coast. FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS - BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS He was also the subject of a vile bomb threat on his home amid the scrutiny. Ten Hag's team are already in the spotlight this summer as star player Cristiano Ronaldo holds crunch talks with the club. The wantaway striker missed the club's pre-season tour after not attending any training sessions in the build-up. The Portuguese superstar revealed his eagerness to leave Old Trafford earlier this month, asking bosses to accept a reasonable offer for his services.
Erik Ten Hag Confirms Harry Maguire Will Continue As Man Utd Captain, Gives Cristiano Ronaldo Update
In his first pre-season press conference as Manchester United manager, an enthusiastic Ten Hag spoke positively about the defender ahead of Tuesday's clash against Liverpool at the Rajamangala Stadium, Thailand. He said: "I have to get to know all the players, but he's an established captain and he's achieved a lot of success." Maguire struggled in large spells throughout the 2021/22 campaign, but managed to retain his captaincy under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. Former Manchester United full-back Gary Neville was delighted with the decision. "Good," Neville said on Twitter when the Maguire news was announced. Neville then hit back at critics of his previous tweet. "So the same United fans fuming with me for applauding the decision to keep Maguire as captain seem to be without knowing criticising the new manager for his decision," he wrote. "Maybe support Maguire and stop bullying him on here! The new manager obviously likes him." Another subject brought up in Monday morning's press conference was the future of Cristiano Ronaldo. When asked about Ronaldo's current situation, Ten Hag said: "He is not with us due to personal issues. We are planning with Cristiano Ronaldo for this season.